Blue Lock Season 2 Review

Posted on March 8, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for the return of Blue Lock, one of the all time greats for anime. Blue Lock is the kind of franchise that never falters and even if the animation may not have been the greatest, the story makes up for that. The style and color scheme are also extremely sharp so I have to say that I was impressed either way. Things like this come down to the direction and how the information is presented. Blue Lock continues to be nonstop hype the whole time and so I can say that season 3 is going to have to work hard to keep up.

This season is pretty much all about the Japan vs U20 match. First we do have the match to choose which Blue Lock players will make the team though. There are only so many slots after all but once that’s done then we hit the ground running. This is one of the most important matches of the franchise so it makes sense that this would be a big deal. Do the Blue Lockers have what it takes to defeat the Japanese team or are they getting ahead of themselves? One thing’s for sure, they will all have to evolve their skills if they want even a slight chance of winning this one.

So lets get onto the technicals right away. The show may not have the most movement but the strong colors from season 1 persist. You can feel the power in each of the blows throughout the season and so you’re really kept fully alert the whole time. The final episode also goes really hard with the movement as Rin battles Sae. So in the end I can’t count this as anything else other than an absolute W. The show excels when necessary with the visuals.

Then backing it up the whole time is an absolutely killer soundtrack. The great tunes continue to persist over and over again as the show goes on. You have remixes of old tunes as well as a bunch of brand new songs. Shidou’s goal theme was probably the biggest stand out theme to me but I generally liked all of them. Blue Lock is so far ahead of the average anime in terms of the music that this ends up helping the whole package continue to get better and better.

The show even lands the huge cliffhanger here. We set up one of the new characters who will be dominating for a while and then we also have one character threaten to murder someone. Clearly the soccer is only going to continue to get more and more intense from here and I am definitely eager to see how that plays out. Hopefully season 3 happens sooner than later because I definitely need that right now.

Naturally the cast is still as excellent as ever. For the main character we have Isagi and he’s really not your traditional main character. He has a real edge to him that continues to come to the forefront as he is forced to disassemble and reassemble himself over and over again. He may get targeted a lot in the battles but he ultimately makes his comeback and keeps on swinging. That’s what makes him such a dangerous figure. Additionally he’s clutch when it counts and even talks back to his coach. In another series you could expect Isagi to be the rival figure.

So naturally as the actual rival you can really expect that Rin looks absolutely crazy here. He keeps getting more unhinged as the episodes go on to the point where he is ready to fight in real life. I don’t like the way his Destroyer form looks but I can’t deny the actual ability behind it. At this point it’s fair to say that he is quite easily the best Blue Lock player on the field. None can even come close to his brilliance. I definitely look forward to seeing more of him. I don’t see anyone surpassing this guy.

Bachira is one of my favorite characters as well but sadly he doesn’t get a ton to do here. It’s still clear that he is one of the most skilled players on the team so that’s a good thing but he doesn’t get a chance to really go on a tear the way that he used to. I don’t think it’s that the power creep has caught up to him but just that you can’t really balance every player when they’re all on screen. He does well enough and typically beats his man which is good but you won’t see him taking down a whole team or anything like that.

Chigiri continues to impress with his pure speed. He might be the most understated player on the team because his speed is consistently able to work on everybody. Nobody seems to be able to counter it the first time and his only real weakness is a lack of stamina. Once he gets that under control then he will be even better. Chigiri should certainly be regarded as one of the team’s best strikers.

Reo is still finding his place in the universe as I don’t think the copycat thing is his final form. Still, it is impressive how he is able to copy any technique after only seeing it once. He’s definitely a dangerous player and gets quite a few really good moments. If he can find a way to add his own spin to the copy then he really could end up being one of the strongest.

Nagi looks really good here and the guy is still a prodigy. He makes a statement in the big game really early and while he was quiet after that, you know that you can count on him for a big play. He can really shoot the ball from any angle and is only getting better and better. He’s a lot of fun to root for.

After that we have Barou and I would argue that from the top characters he is the one with the most holes in his game. He loves to do whatever he wants and has a perfectly selfish mindset as an egoist but I don’t see how you can keep on causing chaos and hope to win. After a point the novelty wears off and you’re just holding everyone back. I guess you could say I just have a problem with his whole ideology but he does get his pivotal moment to help out.

Then you have Karasu who is a bit of a quiet player but he really does well in the match. You can always see him on the field either directing the defense or even making a play himself. It feels like he is a step behind the other big shots in the series but he’s a great guy to have on your side because he has a good understanding of the strategy aspect of the game. He’s not just a player first and foremost.

Yukimiya is more of an aggressive player. Forget the strategy, he’s just here to score goals. I like his confidence and he’s generally good but I almost expect him to look a little better considering that his specialty is one on one duels. There are always a lot of those in this series so he should quickly settle himself as one of the best players. For some reason he never quite takes off like that which is a shame.

Otoya is the same way but his role is considerably smaller. He may be a top 6 player with great stats but in a lot of ways he feels the most generic. He gets his chance to shine and all but you can definitely picture him getting less and less screentime. Just look at Aryu and Niko after all. They’re in the roster and are great players but don’t get to do a whole lot. At least Niko has similar surveying skills to Isagi so he can do well in predicting what will be happening next. Aryu at this point is just tall and that’s about it.

Gagamaru doesn’t do a ton but he doesn’t need to since he’s the goalie. His job is if anything not to appear too much because that means he isn’t letting any goals go through or they aren’t even reaching him. He always does a good job so you really can’t fault him at all. Someone like Raichi who is mostly a nonfactor is more of a free target. The poor guy just feels doomed to be a supporting character at this rate even though he always had a lot of gusto. Sometimes enthusiasm just isn’t enough.

Then we have some of the new recruits like Nanase. He’s a nice guy who means well but everything about his game is fairly ordinary. He seems good enough to support others but too weak to stand on his own and for that reason I don’t see him rising up the charts all that much. In comparison Hiori has more of a fire to him. He continues to improve his passing game and is really quite lethal when it counts. The show also gave him a really cool ice effect for one of his shots which really stood out and made him even more memorable. It’s the little things like that which you just don’t forget. I look forward to seeing more of him.

Meanwhile the coach Ego only looks okay here. He does mess with the heroes a bit but I still would have liked some better coaching. Yes, I get why you leave it up to the players for a while so they can have their own development but the whole point of a coach is to teach the players. He could have done something beyond sitting around until the team forced his hand. A coach should be coaching and I just don’t buy the excuses to the contrary.

Now lets talk about the other team. In general there are 4 players to look at. First up is Sendo who was the striker on the team before Sae joined up. He has a lot of resentment towards that guy and Sae definitely fuels it as he constantly insults Sendo. Sendo may not be the strongest but he is still a great player. I was rooting for the guy because for the most part he just seemed to not be ready when his opportunity was there. He wasn’t quite ready to be the all time best.

Aiku is one of the most interesting characters because he’s actually a defender first and foremost. That’s extremely rare in this series and they did a great job of really showing off all of his moves. He continues to get better and better as the match went on and I definitely await his return. It’s important to set up a good defender to really bring out the attackers. He’s also just got a very unique personality and was really well developed considering that he just shows up. You really can’t ask for much more than that.

Then we have Shido who actually ends up working for the villains on this one after he was benched from Blue Lock. It’s pretty fun seeing him on the opposing side and the guy is absolutely insane. A true wild card, even more than the actual wild card character. He can be a bit much with how over the top he is but he works real well as the antagonist. The fact that he’s nearly as good as Rin definitely shows why almost nobody can really handle the guy. He’s just in a different tier.

Finally we have Sae. After all these years Rin gets to settle the score with him. I will say that once we see the backstory it’s hard not to be on Sae’s side. Rin comes across as super unreasonable the whole time as Sae isn’t even being aggressive. It’s only once Rin turns up the attitude that Sae ends up getting really serious. So I don’t really blame Sae for what happened there. Additionally in the present we see just how much Sae has been improving because he’s able to easily handle everyone on the team except for Rin. It’s no wonder that he mocks the Japanese team for being weak. It is always hard to have to carry a whole team.

Overall, Blue Lock continues to show why it is such an elite series. I could watch episodes of this series over and over again. It has incredible replay value throughout the season. The big match has so much development and hype moments as well that it feels like a true epic. If you want to search for all of the pivotal moments you may as well watch the season again because things are happening every minute. Whether you like sports or not you need to watch this one. Blue Lock is the perfect example of a show that keeps its hype no matter what. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that Soccer was the greatest sport in the world after this.

Overall 9/10

Natsume’s Book of Friends Season 7 Review

Posted on March 2, 2025 by dreager1

Natsume’s Book of Friends is definitely a pretty impressive adaption but you only had to look at the seasons to know that. It’s pretty much unheard of to get 7 whole seasons and I’m sure we will be getting an 8th some day. It’s a very peaceful franchise where you can watch the episodes at any point. I definitely had a good time with it and while the show isn’t going to knock your socks off, you can always depend on quality writing and good story telling.

If you’re new to the franchise, the general plot is fairly simple. Natsume is a man who can see Yokai and has inherited the “Book of Friends” from his grandmother Reiko. This book contains the names of many Yokai who are effectively forced to do Natsume’s bidding while they are there. He intends to return all of their names back to the Yokai but can only do this when the Yokai is right in front of him. Along the way Natsume helps them all out with their daily problems.

In the first episode we have a Yokai inhabiting the body of a clay form that looks like Nyanko. So a pretty solid way to jump in and a lot of Hijinx play out from there. The yokai itself is one of the calmer ones as it just needs some time and is generally pleasant. Natsume is all too happy to help out while Nyanko is a little grumpy as always. We get a little danger but for the most part this is just a fun little adventure. It’s a pretty solid premiere with a self contained story that worked well.

Following that episode, we have an adventure where somebody is messing up the flower garden every night. Natsume decides to put a stop to this and naturally it turns out to be a bunch of Yokai. They’re trying to take care of a small castle and need the flowers for beauty purposes. Natsume helps them out and ultimately gets to prove that he can be delicate as needed. He really gets to show off his expertise in cleaning. Another low key episode here but I was glad that Natsume got on this right away. He wasn’t about to let anyone mess with his folks.

After that we have our first case with Natori. He and Natsume are helping a guy who is being haunted by scarecrow Yokai. At this point the main factor of interest with these team ups is seeing what will happen with the Book of Friends. By the end Natori is definitely confident that the book is a bad thing and must be taken from Natsumi. Technically I get it because Natsumi is hardly the strongest guy around and is often in lethal danger. He has to be saved on the regular by Nyanko but one day he might be too late. Additionally Natsume’s family will also be in danger but regardless it isn’t likely that Natsume would ever forgive Natori. Natori definitely ends up being one of the most interesting characters as he has to balance this all together.

Natsume is okay but he’s not the most interesting character so you need others to bounce off of him. I still disagree with Natsumi not telling his folks about the book. Additionally Natsume can be too naive and training throughout the show. At least Nyanko always keeps his guard up but then at the same time his big mistake is that he gets drunk on the job and isn’t a very reliable bodyguard. He gets lucky quite often but doesn’t take his job nearly as seriously as he should.

In the 4th episode we have our first really emotional episode. Natsume and Kitamoto pass by an old bookstore where Kitamoto wants to find a book from the old days. He decides to keep visiting this place but is always pressured by the store owner to leave right away. Not a very good feeling for a customer but Kitamoto is not dissuaded. What he doesn’t know is that the girl is a Yokai and Natsume decides not to say anything. I think Natsume was definitely wrong in this one even though the girl said not to say anything. This was the absolute perfect time to finally break the truth to him about the world of supernatural things. So I can’t see this as anything but a massive L tbh. I enjoyed the banter the whole time though and the Yokai was nice. She did a good job of watching after the store.

After that we have a story about a dragon scale falling down onto Earth and Natsume decides to grab it for Chobihigue. It’s okay but this would be the weakest episode up to this point. I still don’t care much for the main Yokai that hang around Natsume. They are just really weak supporting characters all around. Their antics aren’t particularly funny and I don’t find them to be very interesting either. In general Natsume isn’t a funny show anyway, it’s meant to survive on the good stories and these Yokai yet don’t cut it. Even Chobihigue’s big twist doesn’t hit as hard as it should because we just don’t care about that guy.

Next up Matoba appears and I really liked the opening to the episode as we get a mini mystery on if he was punking Natsume about having a Yokai in the bird cage or if he was messing around. The actual story has a focus on Matoba and his team having to face off with a Yokai that is trying to get past the glass traps. I always like Matoba episodes since they focus on the big problems that Natsume is lucky enough to avoid. For the most part, Yokai are very dangerous and while this guy may look like an extremist next to Natsume, he feels like a realist at other points. He is a really good antagonist and one who has a lot of valid points. In a debate he will always beat Natsume but that’s more due to the latter’s inexperience than anything else. I definitely look forward to their inevitable clash over the Book of Friends someday.

Following that up is an episode about a Yokai skeptic. This episode would hit so much harder if Natsume ever actually told people about Yokai though. Since he doesn’t, you don’t have the usual tension here. Fortunately it was a nice Yokai anyway so the whole thing didn’t matter too much but I did like this guy. He seemed reasonable about it without being written to be over the top. I’d probably be skeptical about Yokai myself if I was in the show. I’d need a lot of good old fashioned proof and with the main Yokai guy being intentionally cagey…yeah I wouldn’t suspect a thing.

After that is a pretty interesting episode but it does rely on Nishimura being really slow on the uptake. A Yokai decides to transform into Natsume and visit the guy every night. He gives Nishimura a weird doll finger to hang onto and keeps on coming to check on it. This “Natsume” can barely talk and acts nothing like the real one. Nishimura has a lot of different excuses to himself on why Natsume is so different and so he never actually suspects anything but you feel like he totally should. The whole thing has a happy ending and all plus I enjoyed seeing Nishimura get a bigger role. He may not be the smartest guy around but he’s a good friend.

Then we get our big two part adventure of the season. Natori and Matoba are around as they have to ensure a ceremony goes as planned. If it’s interrupted for any reason then there will be big trouble. So they all have their ways of helping. Natsume wants the pacifist approach, Matoba wants to destroy them all and Natori wants to destroy the bad ones but does try talking a good game about not being too extreme. The episode further shows the gap between the two exorcists as Matoba is clearly a lot stronger and more capable. We already knew this but it’s always fun to have a reminder. Natsume as usual holds them back a bit as he is easily taken out. We do have a good amount of danger here and the ensemble cast really helps to make the episode feel grand. Every season should have a solid two part adventure like this one.

In the second last episode, we get the big emotional episode that should have been the last one. We see how Reiko got her first ever Yokai name and then how she even made a good friend. Unfortunately a big misunderstanding causes them to drift apart which was unfortunate. It’s probably one of the saddest episodes of the series and definitely the saddest one of the season. Reiko may have great powers but she sure went through a whole lot while she was growing up. Not having any friends is already rough in itself and then things never go well when she has the opportunity to make some. The other girl was also sick all the time but really tried hard in order to get better at the various games in order to play against Reiko. It’s easy to get sad about it just remembering the episode.

The final episode goes for a fairly emotional vibe. Natsume helps a origami out so that creature shows him a lot of nice memories. Natsume and the creature bond quickly and it’s a reminder that some Yokai just want a friend and are totally harmless. We get a lot of little cameos and then the season is over. It’s not really a grand finale or anything like that but it does a good job of showing the average tone of the season. So I understand it in terms of being fitting to end the season like that but I would have chosen one of the other episodes to end off on.

The animation is fairly decent as you would expect. Nothing particularly noteworthy but standard is enough for a slice of life title like this. Great animation could possibly help this one jump to the next level but at the same time I understand why you wouldn’t throw a crazy amount of budget at this one. The series doesn’t require a ton of animation and it’s fairly dialogue heavy. So as long as the animation isn’t bad, then the series doesn’t get held back or anything like that.

Likewise the soundtrack isn’t bad. It’s very low key and definitely not the most exciting but it works well enough for what it’s trying to do. I would like the technical aspects to show up one day and really support the writing though. Natsume may be very laidback but you can absolutely still find a way to make the show a little more exciting. This way you’ll attract even more fans and get that higher replay value.

Overall, Natsume’s Book of Friends has a very familiar vibe to it. It’s the kind of show that has remained consistent for its whole run. You always know that you can count on good stories here and that is important. I can easily recommend this to anyone because it’s really inoffensive. You learn a lot of general life lessons about being a good person as well. The characters are all very polite generally and there aren’t too many evil antagonists. So again, feel free to check this one out as a calming experience and you can basically jump in without any context. The series doesn’t seem to be in any rush to actually wrap up the plot so they can keep these stories going for a very long time.

Overall 6/10

Scarlet Nexus Review

Posted on March 2, 2025 by dreager1

The Scarlet Nexus game was definitely a blast and so it’s nice that it got a full anime adaption as well. You don’t see that very often and especially with a big RPG like this. I’d say that the story is adapted pretty well so you can definitely follow along even if the anime is the only thing that you have absorbed from the franchise. It works like any normal anime would so you have all of the context that you could possibly need here.

The story follows two main characters. The first one is Yuito Sumeragi who has to live up to a rather impressive family history. He is determined to succeed on his own merits. He joins the OSF which is effectively the sci-fi police of this region and they fight off monsters as they keep the peace. These monsters are seemingly endless and so far there has not been a way to get rid of them. Perhaps Yuito will be able to accomplish this since he seems to hold some kind of pivotal role in the situation. So much so that people even want him dead.

Meanwhile we have the heroine Kasane who is an experienced member of the OSF. A girl who looks exactly like her saved Yuito when he was a kid but she doesn’t recognize him. Unfortunately it looks like the only way to save the world is to murder Yuito. Can she really murder an innocent person even if doing so would save the world? Her options begin to narrow as something happens to her sister and there is a serious time crunch. Now she just has to make sure that her information is reliable.

There is a lot going on here and to an extent you can even say that it’s like a government conspiracy type of series. The government here knows a whole lot but they don’t like to share intel. Additionally there isn’t only one faction. No that’d be too simple for something like this. So you have the OSF as a whole, then you have Karen who commands a resistance army that breaks away from the OSF. There is also the tribe of the Moon which has a lot of plans and there is even one more group. So you can see why the whole world is in chaos because humanity is absolutely not close to any kind of unified front. They would sooner continue to fight each other than actually manage to save the world.

In this world most people grow up with a kind of psychic power. The type varies as you can have flames, invisibility, etc. If you don’t have one, then you are literally called a dud and will have a hard time doing much of anything. Almost the whole world is set up for people with mental abilities so basic things like signs don’t tend to exist. We briefly see this as one character grew up as a dud and we see one lady get lost at the hospital. It’s a pretty interesting plotline which shows just how hard it is to not have powers when everybody else does. The show doesn’t really have time to get into this at all beyond the one scene though. It would have been nice to have addressed this a bit more.

As per always, the government is the side you don’t want to be on. They run a ton of crazy experiments and are really a big part of the problem. We see that they have ideas on getting rid of the monsters but in the meantime they are making more and basically hiding it. Once you learn the truth behind the monsters, it makes them look so much worse. Even the drugs they use to help Yuito have a dark secret behind them. There was really no coming back for the government from this and quite a few characters are complicit after they know about it.

The common theme from the higher ups is that you have to make some sacrifices but that’s an attitude that I will basically never side with. After a point you end up causing more harm than good. At least Karen’s motivation is one that I can get behind. Basically he is trying to change time in order to save Alice from an untimely death. As always my train of thought here is that if you have the ability of time travel then you have to do whatever you can in order to save someone who has died. You just keep trying over and over and over again until you have pulled this off. You owe the character at least that much.

So Karen is putting the world at risk in order to do this but that’s fine. He’s the standout character of the series because of his determination. He just never gives up and keeps on trying the whole time. The series gives his character a pretty solid end. Ultimately you just have to remember to never give up and keep on trying for as long as you can. He was also the most powerful character in the series by a longshot to the point where the heroes needed considerable amounts of plot armor in order to even stay close against him. The ability to copy all other powers always tends to be a broken one.

As for the main character Yuito, he’s a solid lead. The guy may not be overflowing with personality or anything like that but he is doing his best to help everyone out. Unlike Karen it does feel like Yuito gave up in the end as we saw what happened to him when he grew old. Not a great look for the guy but he did put up with a lot. Yuito just needed to trust in his own abilities a little more. His power level fluctuates a lot based on his emotions and he is also dealing with a psychic illness for most of the series which limits him quite a bit. Things would have been a whole lot smoother for him otherwise.

Kasane definitely handles herself with a lot more poise throughout the series. She is more skilled with her abilities at first although Yuito quickly begins to catch up in that arena. She can be a bit too reckless in jumping to conclusions though. Particularly when she decided to murder Yuito since that just seems like a crazy gamble and of course there are no takebacks. I do like her tough persona though.

Of course you can’t have a full squad without teammates so lets talk about those. First up is Luka who is Karen’s younger brother. His teleportation is handy and Luka would probably be a huge threat in battle if he didn’t have to always go up against someone crazy strong like Karen. Luka knows how to fight well and while he can be a bit timid, he’s a solid ally to have around. Arashi is a lot more fun when it comes to the seniors though. She likes to slack off and knows how to be subtle about it as well. She can move at super speed which you’d think would make her super broken but she doesn’t actually fight that much.

In general the show isn’t the best at showing power levels. Despite how many monsters there are, it feels like the heroes should have an easy time rounding them up. Arashi alone could crush a great number with her speed but she rarely feels much more useful than the average fighter. Her high rank reflects her ability but it’s more lore than showings. Someone like Gemma I can understand having a tough time since he’s more of a brawn guy. Not the fastest or anything and instead relies on his blows to make a difference. I lost a lot of respect for the guy early on when he was shown to be gullible and change sides quickly. He is an example of someone that you do not want to have on your side because you just can’t trust him.

Hanabi serves as the childhood friend role and has some good fire abilities. Despite this, her role is fairly small and she’s mostly just around to fill out the cast. I would have expected her to have had a much bigger influence especially since fire powers are always awesome. Ah well, at least she does look after Yuito. Then we have Kagero who is another one of those guys who can’t be trusted. He gets a fairly big origin story and at least has a much better reason for the deception than Gamma. I tend to like Kagero but the heroes forgave him a bit too easily. Particularly Yuito who really could have gone to town on the guy. Invisibility is a handy power although slightly less handy when you’re always fighting with other psychics.

Kyoka continues the trend of nobody being all that trust worthy here. She has ties to the moon clan and naturally didn’t tell anybody. She was absolutely ready to leave the heroes for dead and had the worst reason for being a traitor. Not only should the characters not have forgiven her but they should have definitely locked her up. You just can’t leave someone like that out in the open or you are really asking for trouble.

Then we have Shiden who talks tough but doesn’t really accomplish anything in the show. He’s super jealous of Yuito and anyone else who has a fancy family and lineage. That’s the kind of petty guy that he is and the show doesn’t give him enough screentime to really grow out of that. Then you have Tsugumi who is the really timid character of the group. That kind of character never tends to be my favorite and she continues in that trend. She’s okay but definitely gets overwhelmed by all the other characters.

Nagi is one of those guys who is a bit on the annoying side. He tries too hard at pretty much everything including flirting. He wants to be more skilled but is quick to fall for brainwashing and getting wrecked. Now you don’t want to be too harsh to a character for that since most would have folded as well but he was really getting in the way the whole time. He made things considerably harder on Yuito than they would have been otherwise. I do like his wind powers though.

Poor Naomi doesn’t get to appear much but she was a nice character. She did her best to be nice to everybody and was a good cadet. Ultimately she was just not put in a situation to succeed. Then we have Fubuki who is one of the commanders so he’s definitely competent and very skilled. Alas, he is rarely on the front lines so it’s not like this helps the heroes all that much against the monsters.

The animation for the show looks good. It’s definitely not a top level budget or anything like that but it flows together well and the animation is solid. Karen talking to his various other selves and then going for the speed blitz was really smooth. The colors can be striking as well and so overall I would definitely give this one a thumbs up. Meanwhile the soundtrack is also good. Nothing amazing but I did like the two openings. The battle themes are also catchy. So in a lot of ways the soundtrack matches the rest of the show. It’s all pretty good but not great. It’s not a show that you’d expect to be winning awards and making the news or anything like that after all.

Overall, Scarlet Nexus will be remembered as a pretty good show and I’d say that’s still satisfying enough for the fans. I had a good time with it and the ending was really solid. The action really ramped up as the series went on and I would say Karen played a major role in making the series as hype as it was. It’s why it is extremely important to have a good villain. He ties everything together here and the general story was also interesting from the jump. As long as you enjoy a good sci-fi title then you will enjoy this one. It’s got those end of the world stakes and everything. It doesn’t feel like the kind of show that would get a sequel but I’d definitely enjoy one.

Overall 7/10

Cardfight!! Vanguard Divinez Season 2 Review

Posted on March 2, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for the return of Cardfight Vanguard! The Divinez season last time was excellent and this one definitely continues to operate as an incredibly high level. We get a big clash of teams here which was really hype and it ensured we got a whole lot of action. There were also some pretty massive plot twists that even affect events that happened in previous seasons. This really puts a cap on a lot of the recent adventures that each character had so it’ll be interesting to see how the next season plays out. It’ll also be hard to top this one although that has been the case for each season for a while now.

The show starts with a new villain named Sybilt appearing. This creature has decided to bring back the Destined fighters from last season so they can take on his chosen fighters. Once again the stakes are pretty high as the winners will be able to get their wishes granted. This time it’s not just one person who will have their wish granted after all but a whole team. So there is a lot of pressure on each person to win. Additionally Sybilt has turned on a sort of mind control on the fighters representing this side. Gabwelius knows that his fighters from the previous season are strong but can they really hold their own here? If they lose then everything might end up being lost.

The idea of bringing in a team of fighters who are all even more powerful than the first group is a very direct kind of story arc that works really well here. Folks that you saw as the enemy last time now have to team up which is another kind of story trope that I like. So mix that in with a tournament type setting and you’ve definitely got me on board. I would say the last season may have the slight edge in terms of impactful duels but it’s extremely close. As with last time, the highlight here is Hikari, the older version of course.

The younger version gets a much bigger role here as she shows up on the villain side. Unfortunately this role makes her look really bad as she turns against Akina and doesn’t even really try to get him on her side. She is completely stuck on her ways which is really unfortunate. I would say she comes across as ultra unreasonable even if she is doing this to help Akina out in her own way. You can’t help someone out by shutting them out first. It just doesn’t work that way and so she puts him through a lot.

Fortunately the older Hikari is around to help save the character. She directly confronts her younger self and really shows how to get off the dark path. The older version may not get to appear very much in any season but she really makes the most out of her scenes. Once again she completely steals the scenes that she is in. Her deck is also really impressive and still has a great theme to it. There are very few in the whole verse who can really hope to match her abilities.

As for Akina, he has come a long way since the old days. He certainly sticks up for himself more and isn’t quite as soft spoken. At this point it is old news since I’ve liked him for quite a while now. I’m not saying he’s on Aichi’s level yet but this guy can hold his own with any of the other protagonists. His skills are quite serious and he is really able to discuss any serious topic with ease. He’s someone that the heroes can really rally behind. In this season things may get rough for him during the duels but he is definitely no quitter.

Gabwelius is someone who doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence at all. Sybilt just seems better and more equipped for combat each time. Gabwelius is mostly stuck playing defense. Now granted, he does a good job of shutting down her more aggressive actions but it would be nice if he would straight up fight the whole time. Meanwhile Sybilt is actually a really fun villain. She has big plans on her end and keeps the heroes from getting too comfortable. The more we learn about her, the more impressive she gets. She really put in a whole lot of effort here in order to get her way. Also the fact that she can also duel really well is a huge advantage in her favor.

Then we have Massanori who somehow continues to show up in every single season. After a point you have to give the guy some respect although I still don’t like him. He’s just not that interesting and I also don’t think that he is really strong enough to justify his continued role. At this point it’s such a running gag he should probably be in the next season as an antagonist too though. Maybe you can somehow leverage this into some kind of really cool plot twist.

Jinki returns here and I was glad that his A.I. protected him from the mind control. It was a good way of acknowledging just how strong the program was and let Jinki keep some hype. I know a certain degree of power creep is unavoidable but I would have been a little sad if he was effortlessly defeated. In duels he still shows a good amount of skill and ends up being one of the more interesting characters on the villain side.

The thing to remember is that the mind control basically brings out your true instincts but doesn’t totally change you as a person. For that reason I’m still going to be a bit harsh on some of these characters. For example Kyohma. The guy resents how Taizo doesn’t take things seriously and really wants to take over the company. To an extent it’s to help Taizo but for the most part it’s just plain ole jealousy here. Taizo helped him a whole lot so for the guy to basically betray him here was crazy. I thought he was the least sympathetic character from the bunch and it wasn’t even close. He just seemed super ungrateful and so I wanted him to be defeated.

Taizo may not be the strongest character in the series but he’s always near the top so I really had to respect that. He’s just a fun duelist and someone who doesn’t take things too seriously. You want someone like that on your side to keep things from getting too stressful. You can also count on him when the chips are down like when he helped out Hikari. Rooting for him was a really easy decision and I think he let off Kyohma way too easily.

Suo may have been a really hype character back in the day who had serious abilities. Well at this point he has lost a lot of hype not that he is a hero. He looks good in the duel but not amazing or anything like that. It’s clear that he no longer has the same intensity. It’s great that things are going well for him now but it would have been good if he could have looked a little more powerful. His role here isn’t all that big but to an extent that had to happen to everybody since the episode count is very small. Most characters just get one duel and have to make the most of it.

Kuon was a fun duelist on the other side but I don’t think he ever grew on me too much even with all the screentime. It felt like the show was trying to make him really important retroactively but unlike the Sybilt twists, his just doesn’t work as much. I think the show should have kept him as a total mystery. He’s a nice guy and I liked having him around as an opponent to defeat but it still felt like there just wasn’t much to the character. I’d like to see him appear more without the whole tournament and see more of what his personality brings to the table.

Mikoto is one of the characters on the hero side who feels like she’s hit a bit of a wall as a character. She’s skilled to be sure but not one of the strongest ones. Her deck is nothing special and so her rivalry battle feels a bit generic. She is okay but it just feels like the writers don’t know where to take her next. With the cast already being rather large by this point I wouldn’t mind if she was the one to be written out.

Yuna on the villain’s side was also a bit of an empty character. I give her props for not coming across as antagonistic the whole time though. She actually seemed to be enjoying the fight and being very personable so it shows that even without any inhibitions she is a nice person. That’s always nice to see since some characters should definitely not be corruptible at all. It’s just not in their character.

Nao is a really fun heroine so it was nice to see her getting a big role here. She was originally a big mentor but got less to do as the series went on. She shows that she still has a lot of talent here and is one of the most charismatic members of the hero group. It’s easy to root for her and since she is the only one here aside from Taizo really going the pro route, the show should continue to show how advanced her skills are.

I also liked her opponent Senka. Senka is super competitive and wants to be someone who can defeat Nao. It’s a really goal and I always love a good rivalry so you’ll see no complaints from me. She just needs to level up her skills a bit more and she will really be a big threat. She also had to share time with a bunch of new characters so on her own she will be able to stand out more if she does return. Granted, the 12-13 episode count does limit possibilities for everyone but the more seasons you show up in, the more your appearances can at least stay high.

As always the soundtrack is really good here. Several characters have their own themes which is really awesome. It keeps the variety high at all times. Additionally the songs just rock out. They really help to amp up the intensity and even emotional feel of the duels. Then you have the animation which is pretty solid as well. They don’t have a blast showing off the in game animation as much as they used to but the character designs are still on point and the colors really pop out at you.

This is the kind of show that is more about the writing and the duels than the technical elements though. You will like the show if you like good duels and that’s really the whole point. Every duel throws in some good context and emotional weight behind it so that you are glued to the ending. The high stakes of the tournament also help to remind you that these aren’t just friendly fights either. Getting whatever you wish for is a pretty big deal after all, but you should be cautious considering who is offering the prize. At the end of the day when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Overall, Cardfight turned up another elite title right here. The episodes go by so fast and have such high replay value. You will get invested into pretty much all of the duels, even when it’s not the most exciting matchup. It shows that the company has turned these battles into a true science and you can really feel the intensity and creativity the whole time. The fact that they threw in a whole end of the world type plot at the end was just the cherry on top. I’m eager to see what happens in the next season and if the streak can continue. Cardfight is truly a worthy rival to Yugioh both in quality and scale at this point.

Overall 9/10

Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV Review

Posted on February 2, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for an anthology that definitely goes by really quickly. There are only 5 episodes after all and they tend to be pretty short. Still, it’s a pretty nice way to get to see the characters a bit more. The idea for each of the episodes is to get to know a different character a bit more. The animation is solid and this definitely got a reasonable budget. It’s a fun tag along to the game although on its own I’m guessing it won’t be turning a whole lot of heads.

The first episode starts off with a bang as we see into Noctis’ childhood and his run in with a powerful monster. After that we have him and the team fighting with some of the enemy empire’s soldiers. It was a good idea to start and end the series with some solid action scenes. Like I said before, most of the story is really about character development but action really helps for the whole thing to feel real. We also will get to see later on in the final special how the King uses his powers compared to how Noctis uses them. I can’t say he was super impressive but I know the guy is old and all. It just means that the kingdom was always going to be doomed. Either way this was a pretty intense opener and the animation got to show off a bit here. I also like how Noctis avoids eating any vegetables in his burger, that’s how I do it too.

The second episode is about Noctis’ friend Prompto. He used to be really timid and overweight but the guy always had a kind heart. He would look after animals and he did so in the present as well which triggers the flashback. Well, he wants to be Noctis’ friend but is a little ashamed at just how big he is. So he begins to work on losing weight. He runs every day and continues his exercises even in really tough conditions. It really speaks to just how dedicated he is and it’s really nice to see. I’d say it shows how he secretly tries hard even when he always gives off the impression of being a comedic slacker. I appreciate the depth although I would like him to act a bit more serious and driven like that in the present too. No reason he has to always keep this a secret right?

In the third episode we see how Gladiolus was training Noctis but the main character was always being a total slacker. Gladiolus didn’t really have much respect for the guy but kept on with his duty. One day his little sister visits the kingdom and gets lost but Noctis protects her and gets the two of them back home. It at least showed that Noctis would rise to the occasion as needed even if he could stand to train a bit more seriously. It was another fun episode although I do have to suspend some disbelief on Noctis and the little sister escaping the castle so easily. I know it was a secret passage of sorts that leads outside but nobody noticed the hole earlier or had guards around that area? I’d also expect there to be some kind of magical surveillance system because this seems like a security nightmare no matter how you slice it! Luckily things had a good ending for the heroes.

After that we wrap up the character intros with showing us what a tough time Ignis had in getting Noctis ready for the real world. Noctis would not study much at all for the exams and also couldn’t cook for himself. We get to see the real spoiled version of Noctis here. With everyone else he tends to put on the facade that he has his life all together but here we see all the cracks. In a way you can say that Ignis gets to see a side of Noctis that he hides from everyone else so in a way that is pretty big props for Ignis. At the same time it just makes Noctis look really bad. By the end Noctis tries his best to make a meal. While he ends up failing quite badly, I will give him some slight credit for the attempt. I’m glad that he is a lot more mature in the game though.

Finally we go full circle as Noctis meets up with the demon and gets to avenge his family. The demon honestly puts up a super good fight considering this is Noctis with his summoned weapons and the rest of the party. I would expect Noctis to be a bit stronger but this is a fairly early version of the character. Also maybe I am underestimating the monster a bit. Regardless it is a pretty solid action scene all around. A bit of a bloody one as well I could mention. I was a little surprised even at just how intense it got. I suppose with limited time for action, the animators really wanted to go all out here.

It’s a climactic end to the saga and so it made sense to end that way. I enjoyed both the action and slice of life moments here. These episodes could have easily fit into the main game as bonus cutscenes or side quests so they did a good job of making these intro episodes feel real. I’d definitely like to see more Final Fantasy titles get the full media treatment like this one did. A movie, show, and the main game is really a whole lot of content. Any title that isn’t VII or XIII would have to be quite jealous.

Overall, There’s not a ton to discuss here due to the show’s short runtime. All in all it was a fun experience. Short titles like this are a fun way to see your favorite characters for just a little while longer and so there’s no real downside to it. While it won’t have the same punch to people unfamiliar with Final Fantasy, you can probably still appreciate the fun vibes. Some of the stories like Prompto wanting to lose weight so he won’t bring his friend down can be applicable to any story so it makes for an easy watch. Likewise for taking down a monster to avenge your family.

Overall 6/10

Tower of God Season 2 Review

Posted on January 26, 2025 by dreager1

We had to wait a long time for Tower of God to make its big return so everyone was eager to see just how good it would look. Well, unfortunately the series isn’t one of the more big budget ones to put it mildly. The story is a 10/10 though so the series was always going to be great unless they changed something about the plot. Fortunately the cuts weren’t all that bad here. Some stuff is missing to be sure but all in all I thought they did an impressive job with it. It’s no season 1 but this show was definitely a lot of fun.

The story takes place a long time after season 1. Our new main character is Wangnan who is trying to climb up the tower but he has been having a hard time so far. He owes a lot of money to the local Yakuza so this is his last chance. There are a scary batch of recruits this time around too including the mysterious Viole who is the latest Slayer candidate. Since he is sponsored directly by FUG, getting on his bad side would not be a good idea. As luck would have it, they are placed on the same team along with a variety of other colorful characters. Will they be able to succeed or are they all doomed to die? In the meantime, the old characters like Khun are still making their moves to climb the tower and get justice for Baam.

There is a lot going on here as you would expect since this was always a very dialogue heavy series with a lot of storylines going on. This one adds a whole lot of characters to the existing roster which was already quite sizable. There is definitely a lot to keep up with here and the story has to move fast so don’t expect to have too many moments to relax and digest what just happened. Naturally I tend to enjoy fast pacing so that was pretty fun. I’d say it is still enough where you can understand what is going on even without reading the original manhua. It makes things easier for sure though.

So the story is super compelling as always and that’s why I say the series was destined for greatness. As for the animation, it’s not bad. It went for a more traditional look than the first season and while I think that can be good to show off the higher power levels, it really isn’t taken to the fullest. This animation style feels very familiar after all but it doesn’t have the same budget that bigger titles have. So as a result the fights aren’t super fluid or tend to have a lot of movement. At the very end of the season we get some quick cuts but that’s about it. The big punch with Viole and Urek is still a lot of fun even if the animation isn’t super high tier or anything though. I guess it’s another moment where I would give the story itself the most credit.

Fortunately the soundtrack is still really good like in season 1. There are a lot of reused tracks but they still age well. The cliffhanger theme when Urek is fighting Viole is definitely the best one. The openings/endings aren’t as catchy as season 1’s were but they are still good. I’ve listened to them a whole lot and at this point I’m used to them but I still couldn’t say that they are elite or really stand out. They do work better when you ignore the images though. The first opening’s is still criminally low budget. There were some artistic ideas there but they failed.

The decision to make this season 2 cours was definitely a really good one because of how much content there was to adapt. They will probably need 4 cours in order to adapt the Hell Train arc properly but we’ll see how that goes. Hopefully the wait isn’t super long for the next season because it’s rough to have to wait for so long each time. The next arc is my personal favorite of the series after all so I need it right away!

Wangnan makes for a pretty fun main character and I would say he’s a lot more fun than Baam from the first season. That kid was nice enough but Wangnan has more of a personality. He has dreams and aspirations and works hard to make them come true. He may not be the most powerful fighter in the tower but he doesn’t need to be. He just needs good allies and gets some decent feats as the season goes on. He’s more of a comedic lead but that doesn’t stop him from getting serious moments as well. He does what he needs to in order to go higher in the tower.

Miseng is one of the main party members but she can’t really fight much which puts her in a tough spot. The tower is a cruel place and trying to climb it without being able to fight is a really terrible idea. I feel bad for her of course but cmon now. This is just not going to work. She just ends up holding the team back the whole time and since she knows it, this causes Miseng to make some pretty bad moves the whole time. The whole thing is really just a wash for her and she should probably have gotten kicked out of the exams earlier. It only gets rougher the more you climb up after all.

Then there is Goseng who is in a similar boat as she can’t fight. What’s with all of these civilians trying to climb the tower? It’s just such a bad idea and the series sets up a little romance for her but you can’t imagine it ending in anything other than a tragic way. It’s just not possible to climb while constantly having to protect others. She doesn’t seem to be working on her abilities either so for now she isn’t rising up for me.

Akraptor is the tough guy who seems unhinged at first but has a soft side. Still, this is finally someone who can really fight so I am on board with having him around. He is able to keep his cool and keep the others in line when needed. He also tries to put up a fight against Viole although going for cheap shots against Horyang wasn’t smart with how high the stakes were. The guy adds a little spice to the team dynamic by being someone who can’t 100% be trusted so I appreciated that.

Horyang is another pretty powerful fighter and he’s got a sinister past. Definitely someone to keep an eye on and he gets a big role in the arc as other figures from his past turn up. I think he can be a bit too soft spoken but once his mini arc starts, he did get more serious and pro active. So I would say I hesitantly like him. I would like him to do more in the future though instead of just being dragged around a whole lot. He also needs to not make such a reckless move in leaving the heroes again since that just puts them all in danger.

Yeon is a pretty high ranking individual among the family hierarchy so when she shows up you expect a whole lot out of her. Unfortunately she can’t control her flames which is a classic way to nerf her. She’s not bad but considering how much hype the flames themselves get, it can be annoying to see people blocking them or straight up tanking the blasts. She absolutely needs to improve her abilities and do it quickly. Fortunately for her, Tower of God is one of those titles that doesn’t put a ton of stock on speed so she will still be able to tag speedsters even if it doesn’t make sense. Still, you need more than flames to win in this world because being a one trick pony is a recipe for disaster.

Viole is the power hitter that the team needed so it’s always good to have him around. He also doesn’t live up to the hype as much as you would want in the show version. As the slayer candidate his abilities are supposed to be absolutely legendary and on a whole different level yet he doesn’t look quite as overwhelmingly powerful as you would expect. If anything it just seems like his aura is slightly greater than the others which isn’t the all powerful buff that you would think it is. I would have liked to have seen more out of him.

Even so, it’s clear that he is stronger than the rest of the guys on his team so that’s good. Additionally just the fact that he stood up to Urek even for a moment was impressive since everybody else was chickening out immediately. When you are trying to climb the tower, you sometimes have to have a defining moment where you stand against the strong and this was it. It’s a lesson that the other characters could definitely learn from.

Take Prince for example. He may have looked tough at first as one of the villains but the instant he joined the heroes, the guy lost all his hype. It’s not like we needed another kid type character on the crew either. He doesn’t really contribute much at all except to hold the heroes back so I can’t say that I was a big fan of his either. On the whole you can see why I preferred the team from the season 1 group. I tended to enjoy everybody there while here the team can be hit or miss.

Then of course we have Khun’s team led by the man himself. Khun is solid as always here as he thinks 3 steps ahead and always has a plan. This is around the time he became a full time strategist. In season 1 he was also rather dominant physically but I suppose by this time the opponents are getting stronger. I would like to see him fight more though because I have to assume he’s still stronger than a lot of people. He doesn’t see into every possible contingency nor does he win every battle but on the whole he looks good. Khun is great at adapting to the circumstance and always keeping a confident demeanor up no matter what.

Dan is the new recruit Khun finds who has super speed. Uh oh, we all know how super speed can get kinda dicey when it comes to power levels right? Well, naturally it’s not all that good for Dan and he doesn’t get to show it off as much as I would like. The show does a good job of making him immediately likable though. I thought he was a really well developed character though and somebody who was just fun to root for.

Most of Khun’s other members aren’t all that memorable but there were two others who left an impact. First up is Novik who is one of those strong guys who is always overshadowed by having someone more powerful than him on the team. That has to be rough to know that you are pretty powerful but will never get that elusive #1 spot. Doesn’t feel all that fair right? Well he doesn’t let it get him down. It’s a bit hard to gauge Novik’s strength as well because he’s often either much stronger than his opponent or much weaker. There’s not really much of an in between here.

Then you have Ran who is a lot of fun. The guy is super confident and powerful. He reminds me a lot of Killua from Hunter X Hunter. His smugness is definitely deserved with how easily he dispatches his opponents. I like his fighting style so you could say that everything about the character is great from start to finish. He’s really fun to root for and gets a good amount of screentime. Khun definitely did really well to recruit this guy.

Shibisu has his own team as well which is a mix of new characters and old ones. The guy has really come a long way from being more of a loudmouth to a strategist who is treated a lot like Khun. The first season set up the seeds for this and the payoff was really good. He’s still not really a fighter though so tactics are really how he shines in the battles. If you take that away from him then he will really be in a tough spot here.

One of his new recruits is Vespa who is a strong fighter. Vespa brags a lot about having an awakened form and being the fastest but ends up fighting people who are either faster or who have hax which is unfortunate. I still like the character though. I don’t like Verdi as much because she seems borderline evil. She likes to collect people as puppets and brainwash them. That’s not exactly hero behavior so I don’t know what she is doing with these guys. I guess it was one of those strategic partnerships to look the other way but that isn’t a huge consolation to me. You have to reign that “Anything goes” attitude a little bit or you will become the villains.

Endorsi is also part of the group but she really does whatever she wants. It’s fun to see her absolute freedom though and continues to be one of the more powerful fighters. She gets a lot of hype on this one and also on an intellectual level as she quickly figures out that something is a little off about Viole. I definitely look forward to her continuing to have a pretty big role.

Anaak also gets her own solid fight so her fans should be pleased. Her durability gets a lot of respect and she is a high end fighter as well. For the most part you would expect her to be able to defeat most of the other fighters in each group. She is quick to want to get revenge for Baam which I appreciate. That’s how a real friend does it. Unfortunately I would say Hatz looks far less impressive. I really liked him in season 1 but it’s clear that he has lost to the power creep. Gone are the days where he could fight on par with Anaak. Hatz gets his own sub plot ad everything but he just doesn’t have the edge that he used to which is a shame.

Then on the FUG team we have Refejo at the helm. He’s a rather mysterious guy who seems loyal but is always having a backup plan at the ready. In fairness to the guy, trusting anyone in the Tower of God is a really bad move so I don’t blame him. His suspicions turn out to be correct more often than not. He ends up making for a really good villain and is one of the standout antagonists here. The guy can back up his tough talk really well.

Varagav may be stronger but the guy has less character. We get to see him fight Endorsi but that’s about it. I do like the foreshadowing with Baylord Yama being mentioned though. Beta was a more impressive villain as he really gave Viole a tough fight. The guy was pretty whiny so I won’t say he’s as likable as some of the other villains but the guy made his presence known. He really gave all of the characters a really tough fight throughout.

Another villain is Quaetro but he stops being a threat early on. His fight with Wangnan was a lot of fun though. For the most part the fights in the series tend to be serious so having a little comedic moment once in a while isn’t bad. His partner Chang gets even less to do but does seem to be stronger. Maybe one day we will really get to see him cut loose although it feels like the power creep has already passed him. The series really moves fast when it comes to powers.

That’s not even counting characters who appear but haven’t fought yet. Karaka gets a few appearances to gloat and look tough. He’s a solid villain so I look forward to him getting a role. Then of course we have his master Jinsung who gets even more hype. The kind of guy who doesn’t mind walking into a villain’s base all on his own just to talk smack. Now that’s a good level of confidence that I like to see.

Of course Urek towers above all of those as one of the strongest characters in the whole franchise. The guy loves a good fight and really shows off his power. Definitely someone you will want to see more of and he really steals the show even with a very limited amount of screentime. It will be a while before he does anything again so you better savor the moment while you can. His appearance was like a glimpse into the end game.

Then we have Xia Xia who isn’t the strongest villain but she still finds ways to shake everybody up so I can appreciate that. She is crazy in a very dangerous way with no tactic being out of bounds. I thought she did a good job of playing everybody and while her role isn’t large, it was impactful. She’s almost like the reverse Hwaryun who also trolls everybody constantly. Hwaryun gets more hype though since as a guide her foresight is pretty much unstoppable. She will always be on the path that she needs to be. Granted, it doesn’t stop her from being knocked out but you always assume that she got knocked out at a good time for her or something like that.

Emily is a mysterious figure and most of her scenes had to get cut out for the anime. Not that it changes much since she keeps the mysterious aura either way. I wasn’t crazy about the subplot in regards to her true identity but I did like the idea of a texting app that everybody was using in order to stay ahead. That added a fun wrinkle to the Workshop battle arc and kept all of the characters guessing. The more mind games in Tower of God the better!

Still, any scene with the Traveler would usually be pretty uneventful and dare I say a bit boring. I just didn’t care about the guy and not even the anime adaption would end up fixing that. He doesn’t appear a ton fortunately so that worked out. As one more miscellaneous hero, Rak shows up for the second half and even gets some fights. I would say he is an unfortunate victim of the power creep so don’t expect him to look too overpowering but he gets his share of fun moments. He’s not exactly my favorite character but the guy is super loyal so I really appreciate that.

Somebody like Cassano can learn from that. Cassano is a solid villain but you wonder how far he has thought ahead in his plans. he makes a whole lot of enemies out of pretty much every faction which can’t be a good idea for his long term health. He’s a solid fighter but not one of the top tiers. I guess relative to the average fighter he would be considered near the top though. I think he works as an interesting wild card and just needs at least one more power up.

Then of course we have Rachel who is still a standout character. She’s just an absolute blast and always shakes up the tower. It’s clear to see why she is considered one of the destined ones by the tower itself. She also has the most brutal moments in the series. She doesn’t appear much in the second half but of course you can look forward to seeing a whole lot more out of her down the road.

Overall, Season 2 was definitely a blast. It’s a great show even if it’s not downright elite the way that season 1 was. There is a lot going on here and a lot of plot developments set up for the next saga. Regardless of how the animation ends up looking, the next part should be super elite. Although of course I will be hoping for better animation as well because why not have the full package right? A series like Tower of God absolutely deserves every bit of effort it can get. I definitely recommend this title.

Overall 8/10

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day Review

Posted on January 19, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for a classic romantic drama. This one has a whole lot going on with all of the characters getting into complicated romance dynamics. It shows how just losing one person in a friend group can change everything drastically. That is definitely realistic though because friend groups work on the exact basis of everyone involved. So when you lose even one person then you get yourself into a whole new situation. The show is fun to watch and makes for a good title all around.

The show starts off with 6 kids as close friends. One day a few of them get together to put pressure on Jintan to announce if he likes Menma or not. He gets embarrassed and runs off so Menma gives chase but unfortunately an accident occurs and she dies. We cut forward 5 years and the group has really broken up. For the most part they’re on their own now except for Yukiatsu and Tsuruko. Jintan in particular is depressed and doesn’t do much of anything anymore. He just lounges around and watches the hours go by. Well, one day Menma suddenly shows up and only he can see or hear her. She figures that there must be some kind of regret holding her back and the logical conclusion is that the group of friends needs to reunite once more. Can they pull it off?

Reuniting after 5 years is of course a difficult task. Especially when your only real argument is that the ghost of Menma is asking him to do this. Now there is a massive plot hole here that the whole doesn’t actually address until the climax so I’m going to mention it right away. Menma is able to interact with the physical world. She is able to eat and move dishes around, cook, etc. So…..what better way to prove that she’s actually here than to have her move things while everyone is watching right? You’ll think of this in about 2 seconds while Jintan never does and instead has to listen to everyone doubt him. Of course they would doubt him, I would too.

They also should have come up with the idea but I can cut them some slack since they would be super skeptical right from the start that it’s possible. That’s totally fine and makes sense but I don’t see how the main characters wouldn’t think of it. Jintan gets punches and shoved several times for “making up lies about Menma” and this would be so easy to figure out. I kept thinking about that during the entire show’s run and as the viewer it’ll likely be at the top of your mind too.

Ah well, solution aside (and it would change the whole show) the idea of a ghost is always pretty fun. It’s like having an invisible friend and since this does appear to be the real Menma, it’s a chance for him to get some real closure. Since it’s established early on that he likes her, it does mean that he can be awkward at times but naturally having a good friend hanging out 24/7 is definitely fun. He may be reminded of the trauma but this also allows him to get past it as well.

So you’ve got a big storyline about healing here as every character has some scars from her death. This includes supporting characters as well like her parents and brother. Menma’s mother in particular really broke down by this point while the other two are doing their best to handle this in a healthier manner. It ends up making her a bit of an antagonist for a little while there as she just couldn’t let go. Losing your kid so suddenly would be traumatic so you can understand the pain there.

As the main character Jintan isn’t bad. He can be a bit oblivious at times though. The amount of times he casually talks to Menma while forgetting that anybody can see her is considerable. He also tends to have a lot of doubts with the plans and doesn’t see things through. As the series goes on he gets more confident and makes less mistakes but it’s a tough road for him to the end. All of the characters have their faults which is sort of the point though. It’s a fairly weak character cast so the show mainly has to succeed in spite of that and pulls this off with quality writing.

Menma is the main heroine here and she does her best to keep things light. In a lot of ways she stayed a kid even after being a ghost. Her body may have matured but her spirit is that of a kid so she can still be a little naive. She looks at things on the surface level and for that reason the idea of getting everyone back together seems a little easier than for the others. To her it just makes sense since they used to be friends and she does her best for that mission. Her optimism helps her be one of the better characters.

Tsuruko is one of the more petty characters I’d say. She tries to be the mature character of the bunch of she has disdain for the others. She does seem to put herself on a bit of a perch but then attacks the others in secret. This happened as kids as well when she went to talk to Menma in private. Then in the present she tells dark secrets about Yukiatsu to other girls. She felt like the fakest character in the series and it was all because she couldn’t talk about things in the open. I don’t have a whole lot of respect for characters like that.

She laments about how Yukiatsu never sees her as a girl but it’s not like she ever did anything about that. The fact that they were close friends for so long gave her a lot of chances here. Blaming this on the guy not asking is a very old fashioned approach and one I’ve never agreed with. Then we have Poppo who is mainly okay but in some ways seems like the most broken one. I thought it was a really bad look when he started chanting for Jintan to admit his feelings for Menma and relive the trauma of the old days. He may have apologized afterwards but it felt hollow. There are some things you can’t do and then apologize right afterwards because you simply don’t believe it. If he was going that far then he clearly meant what he was saying.

He did his best to be the friendly one but for a while it felt like an act. He really wanted to be able to see Menma too. Although most of the characters were jealous on that front. The biggest offender was Yukiatsu who is super jealous the whole series. It even leads him to dressing up as Menma at one point which was definitely his lowest scene in the series. The guy was crazy and otherwise had been one of the more responsible ones. He helps Anaru out of some jams although his randomly trying to get with her felt forced. The first time I thought it was almost like a joke or a way to get her past her trauma but then he got serious about it which was weird.

Definitely not a good look for him, especially if you take it as his trying to get back at Jintan. I don’t think that was the intent but either way he could have handled things better. He is one of the more interesting characters though and from the 6 I would argue he is the most irreplaceable. His aggressive nature spurned on some of the more serious conversations that would not have happened otherwise with everyone playing nice.

Then we have Anaru who in some ways is the most tragic character. A lot of it is on her though as she also makes the mistake of liking Jintan but not saying anything about it for years. She ends up losing her identity and trying to fit in with the cool crowd who were not really supportive when it counted. The show tries to make her friends look decent at the very end but they seemed fake for the rest of the show. The sudden final scene for them didn’t really work. Anaru does finally confess her feelings later on so that’s the one point I could feel bad for her since Jintan just runs off as normal. It’s definitely one of the absolute worst reactions you can possibly get to a confession like that. I felt like he never properly apologized for that either.

Anaru’s character arc is probably the clearest out of the 6 as she learns to make her own decisions and not just try to fit in with everyone. It’s a healthy character arc and so I definitely appreciated that. That said, I still couldn’t root for her and Jintan since that would be an obvious rebound. In fact, for that reason I couldn’t root for any of the romances in the show. I suppose Jintan and Menma would be fine but she’s dead so that’s not a realistic option either.

That’s why the show is best when it’s focused on the drama and not the romance. Some of it can be a little forced like Anaru being tricked into nearly going to a hotel with some random guy. Terrible look for her even leaving the club at all. Going was already a mistake but how do you not have any street smarts? It’s a good thing Yukiatsu was there at the time. The more normal drama is better with the friends arguing at their fort. At times the arguments can start to go in circles but it makes sense when you have a problem like this one that doesn’t have a clear answer. After all they can argue forever but there’s no way to really know why Menma is stuck on Earth except to keep on trying their best guesses.

The animation is a little better than I would have expected. The colors are striking and there’s a good amount of movement. It’s certainly more than you might expect for a fairly laidback show like this. The opening never really grew on me though and the ost within the show is okay but forgettable. This is the kind of show that needs to survive on the story as there is nothing else to really back that up on the audio front. For a romance/drama that is fine though, I think music is a much bigger deal for an action title but that’s highly debatable.

You’re here for the story of the characters reconnecting after all and that part is handled well. Sticking to a single season was also probably a good idea since it is the kind of show that would get tougher and tougher to pull off as it got more episodes. The longer you go, the more mundane the arguments would start to get. This one had a good balance with all of the characters being rightfully upset and pulling out the cards you would expect. Like thinking Jintan was messing with them or using Menma as a taunt of sorts. He definitely did seem crazy for a while there so that wouldn’t have been too surprising.

Will they stay friends forever? Probably not, friend circles come and go with the ages but it’s a natural thing. A lot of people that you even know well will eventually fade away. Maybe they go to a different school, get married, travel abroad, etc. So you just have to enjoy the friendships while they occur. This show gave the characters a chance to relive those days once more and it’s the kind of emotional beat that any viewer can enjoy.

The storyline about all of the characters effectively wearing a fake social mask is also on point. As the show goes on, the characters all realize that they didn’t know each other nearly as well as they thought they did. They all had different intentions and motivations at the time that was only realized later on. That makes sense as well as even close friends won’t know everything about each other. Even by the end that won’t be the case but it does help them all finally move on from how much guilt they had been holding onto from the past incident.

Overall, Anohana is a pretty good show. I had no real issues with it and it’s just a pleasant ride the whole way through. I’ll never forget how Menma didn’t just prove her existence at the beginning though. There were a good amount of plots going on at the same time here and they all got satisfactory endings. I didn’t feel like any character got shafted out of their trauma developments. As long as you like a more quiet type title then this will be a good title to look up.

Overall 7/10

Granblue Fantasy: The Animation Season 2 Review

Posted on November 16, 2024 by dreager1

Granblue has returned with the next season. It definitely goes by very quickly and makes for a good continuation. It does feel perhaps a bit aimless compared to season 1 at times even though we do have plot progression. That might be because in season 1 we picked up the main cast and got everyone’s mini arc while this one is mainly about learning more on the villains. Still good stuff, but I am ready for the heroes to make some proper headway against the government and learn more about what is going on in the background.

The story follows Gran and his friends as they seek to arrive at Estalucia, the land of the gods. Gran’s father should be at the end of this journey and in the meantime he is helping Lyria capture all of the gods so they stop causing a bunch of trouble. In the meantime the empire continues their attempts to recapture Lyria for their own nefarious purposes. These villains cannot be trusted, perhaps it is time for the heroes to take them down once and for all!

The first arc has the characters land on an island where Katalina is quite well known. The leader, Vira seems to hold her in particularly high regards. At first glance it seems like a fine place except it turns out that Katalina will have to stay on this island and leave the crew in order for them to be able to leave safely. Gran rejects this proposal and so the crew have to do battle with the government once more while also taking on Vira. As always you can’t really trust old friends in this kind of thing because over the years they tend to get corrupt and really join the other side.

It’s not a great look for Katalina though. I never really care for the “Heroic sacrifice” play in this kind of situation because it’s not necessary. She should have talked it over with Gran and the others right off the bat. Not doing so just implies that she doesn’t think they have what it takes. In this case she also had some feelings of guilt but at the end of the day all this means is that she would have completely abandoned her duties which is not cool. She did make an oath to protect Lyria after all and you can’t just stop that midway.

The fight with Vira is pretty fun though. Vira makes for a good villain and one of the stronger combatants that the heroes had to go up against. it would be nice to see her return at some point, maybe for a climax coming up. Would feel like a waste if she just never got to return although granted, if we don’t get another season then in a way that’s the fate of every character.

The second arc of the series is a lot shorter or it felt shorter at least. The heroes head to the next island where everybody is a zombie. That’s a bit strange and also rather unnerving right? Why did they die? What I liked about this mini arc is it felt like Grablue was finally trying something a bit different. This is an adventure show after all but a lot of the islands felt very similar. This one was really different even when it comes down to the tone. So that was impressive and while the villain was a bit of a generic scientist, he was still fairly strong. So this was a pretty fun pit stop on the way to the final arc of the season. It’s another case where they should have tried summoning Bahamut earlier but more on that later.

Finally we get back to what I would call the main plot. The heroes arrive on the next island where the government shows up again in full force. Gran finally has to take on the Black Knight while Lyria is faced off against her own shadow version. It’s pretty fun even if Gran feels completely out of his depth here. We also learn a bit more about his father like the fact that his moniker is the god killer. (Well it might have been Astral Killer or the equivalent of what they call the gods, but same effect) Then the Black Knight may actually have some ties to one of Gran’s members. These mysteries are clear set up for the future and the season itself has a massive cliffhanger with a trial about to start. I’d definitely be eager to see what happens there.

It was a good way to end off the season because that was probably the most action packed episode of the season. While the Black Knight did crush Gran, it was still cool to see them go at it after all this time. I’m not sure I buy what happens to the Black Knight at the end but it could still be part of some kind of a plan so I can’t judge too much just yet. There are still a whole lot of missing pieces to the puzzle.

Like last time, there is a bonus episode at the end. In fact this time there were two! The first one is about Djeeta and her group exploring a dungeon and it was fun to get a proper dungeon crawling episode. I’m not sure I’d want that for a whole arc or anything but for an episode it worked out well enough. I actually like her group more than Gran’s to be honest. It’s a solid stand alone episode with good action throughout so I definitely had no complaints there.

The second episode has two segments. The first one is about Gran wrestling one of the giant monsters and that was a fun one. He got to show off his determination and just how hard he can train when the stakes are high. I’s amusing in part because of how absurd the whole thing is. Then we have Djeeta and friends going to school in a made up alternate universe. A fun enough short. It would probably overstay its welcome if it went on for a whole cour but it can be nice to see familiar characters in brand new settings.

Okay, now lets talk a bit deeper about the show and some of the things that are holding it back somewhat. The first is the animation. I do have to say that it doesn’t look all that great. I would even say slightly below average. The colors aren’t strong and there isn’t always a lot of movement. We get the occasional fight scene but that’s about it. Stronger animation even for just the movement and all would really go a long way. Without it, the series just doesn’t have anything backing up the story.

Likewise, the soundtrack isn’t particularly good. I’m not going to say that it’s bad or anything because it’s not but none of the tunes stand out. The opening theme song is really uninspired as well. You’d almost think it’s all free domain type music and it doesn’t help the show break out of its shell. That is the core of the issues after all, which is that the show feels like a nameless fantasy title. Not the kind of story you will remember all that well even a few years from now.

The show needs a stronger hook. The main cast is okay but not all that interesting. The plot is fine but you don’t tend to make much progress on it at all. It feels like a classic mobile game plot in that sense with the carrot being dangled at the end without any sense of the progress you are making. The show just needs to do something because it all feels a bit too ordinary. I would also say the power levels feel off and in part it’s because the heroes never seem to get any stronger.

They have Bahamut and a bunch of other summons at this point. I would say that it’s about time they started using them. The fact that they don’t use Bahamut at times and get absolutely devastated tells you all that you need to know about this. Bahamut doesn’t get used throughout the whole season and Lyria only tries to use him once. That’s just not mart and in general these bad decisions are the only reason that the fights tend to be close. If Gran was allowed to use his energy moves then perhaps he would have beaten the Black Knight.

Gran’s also a bit of a cardboard cutout character. He doesn’t have a whole lot of personality to him at all. People tend to hit the Isekai leads with this critique, but I dare say he deserves it over most of those. It’s hard to really say what his personality is beyond being there to do the right thing. I would also like Lyria to show a bit more agency. She has had her quick moments where she has to confront her fears and step in to help but it is always a bit of a last resort.

Io doesn’t get much to do here but at least she has one key moment during the haunted village. Rackam’s role is also a bit on the small side here but at least as the driver he is always helpful. Rosetta is almost like a running gag where she shows up to help in just about every arc and then runs off. At this point she may as well just become a main character. Eugen has his big secret coming up but still feels redundant to the party as a whole since Rackam already has the guns angle.

On the villain’s side, I do like the Black Knight. She definitely earns her keep and always keeps things interesting. The rest of them though? Drang and Sturm are trying for a Team Rocket angle but it doesn’t really work. They really just have one gag that they repeat over and over again in the hopes that it will get funnier but it never really does. You’re just left shaking your head the whole time as a result. Finally we have Orchis who doesn’t have much of a character yet although they’re clearly setting her up for a big role. She certainly did way more here than in season 1 so I appreciate that. She will be a good foil to Lyria for now although eventually I do expect her to be one of the heroes eventually.

That seemed like a pretty negative stretch for the series but on the whole it’s just that there is a lot of potential here that is not being maximized because the series is trying to really stretch things out. The world building isn’t quite big enough to pull that off. If it could just focus on the actual story a bit more and the characters getting some action then it could really hit the next level. We absolutely should get more action at this point as we presumably get closer to the final island.

On a small note, it does seem like a crazy coincidence how the heroes bump into all of the same characters on every island. This is a pretty big world after all so the title may want to dial that down a bit. It comes off as a bit forced at times. The series has a massive cast in the games so it’s time to let other characters have their fun and maybe even switch up the main crew a bit. I think that would be a pretty interesting idea. The season at least tried that by adding two main characters which I appreciate. First is the character who is actually one of those god deities and then you have the girl from the supernatural arc, Ferry. So we need to keep doing that but with more of the pure fighters like the cool thunder guy from the season 1 climax.

In general this season was going for a more low key type of ending I would say. Sure, we did have the big fight with the Black Knight but it would have been really nice to have had an all star ensemble like in season 1. That was a whole lot of fun after all, especially since you usually don’t see that until a later season. Perhaps that set the bar too high for this season but there are so many characters that you can definitely do it again for season 3.

Overall, Granblue Fantasy is a perfectly serviceable show. I would say it’s a very safe watch and feels like a standard anime. If you wanted to recommend a title to someone who is not familiar with anime then this would be a pretty good option. It introduces you to basic anime concepts, doesn’t really have any fanservice or weird anime elements, and is about a hero and his party as they save the world. It’s a very innocent anime that is just trying to do the right thing and takes you from place to place. The episodic nature of the arcs can also keep it from being too overwhelming.

Overall 7/10

Wistoria: Wand and Sword Review

Posted on November 9, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time to look at a magic anime that got pretty big real fast. Wistoria is one of those shows that took the world by storm to the point where one person even said you could toss all other anime in the trash. That’s how good Wistoria was. I can say that it lived up to the hype and I would consider it to be a great anime. I’m definitely looking forward to the next seasons and in the meantime I encourage everyone to check it out. It really got the right amount of action and story.

In this world, most people have some level of magical ability. The best of the best rise through the ranks quickly and if you don’t have magic then you are in trouble. At all times there is a cabal of 5-6 master sorcerers who hold up the sky with their magic as it would crash otherwise and bring about the end of everything. Will’s best friend Colette was one of these super geniuses and so they are never able to see each other anymore. Will figures the only way to solve this issue will be if he can improve his skills and ascend to the top of the wizard tower. There’s just one problem, Will has absolutely no magical talents!

Now you might be thinking, where have I heard this before? Mashle, Black Clover, etc. Well that’s not a problem since both of those shows were excellent and this one really keeps up the streak. The high end production values really serve as a great backdrop but at its core the series is succeeding because of the strong cast of characters and story. I would say that it sucks you in right from the first episode. Will’s goal to be able to hang out with his best friend is a solid one and makes things sympathetic right from the start.

Additionally, Will still has a lot of physical talent so it’s not like he’s been slacking off or anything. He has a sword and is able to handle most dungeons on his own. He has the abilities to take on most of the highest ranking students in the school. The only reason his grades lag behind a lot is because the whole school is set up on the basis of magic. So the tests are focused on this in ways where his strength can’t compensate. So Will has to really take down as many monsters as possible in order to prove himself.

Naturally the series has a ton of discrimination which is a staple of any fantasy setting. People can’t stand Will because of the fact that he has no magical powers. They say he shouldn’t be here and the usual stuff. The main teacher tries to crush Will in one of the first episodes and with a few exceptions, all of the students enjoy messing with him as well. Will doesn’t really pay them any mind though and it takes a whole lot of insults and threats of violence to really get him moving. Of course once that point comes up, then he is ready to go to town on them.

I’d say we have 2 main arcs here, the opening tournament and then the dungeon crawl. The tournament comes rather early here so in a way you could say this is how we are really introduced to the characters. Guys like Julius and Sion had already appeared but this is where we got to the heart of their character development. It’s definitely a really fun tournament even if it is short and I like that Will is shown to be very competent and strong from the start. He doesn’t have to find his own way of fighting or anything like that. He just puts all of his skills to the test and goes in swords blazing. The amount of time he is an underdog in the series is extremely short so we get to skip the intro phase in a way and get right to the meat of things.

The peak of the series is in the dungeon crawl though as we get to see Will join the elite team. It’s the best of the best as everyone goes all out to prove themselves. Again, it’s an arc that you would expect to see much later in the series as Will has to reluctantly team up with all of the big rivals and new characters right from the jump. The fast pacing is just a lot of fun because it’s like you are speed running the whole series. You wouldn’t see this from many titles and it’s part of how Wistoria stands out. No worries though, the power ceiling for the series is quite high as there are many other characters to be introduced who are even stronger than the elites.

Like I mentioned before, the animation is really good here. There are a ton of great fight scenes and cuts throughout the series. The different magic spells all look really good and you can feel the power behind each swing. The colors are very vibrant and so this is definitely an anime you can point to when talking about high budget titles. Meanwhile the soundtrack is also good. The theme song is catchy and there are a number of solid tracks. It may not be an absolute home run hit that you talk about for hours and hours but it definitely pulls off its job pretty well.

Now lets get into the characters. First up is Will and he’s a pretty solid main character. The guy is trying hard to achieve his dreams and that’s always good. It’s more of a voice direction thing but I will just say that his voice can be annoying though. It always sounds like he’s close to laughing which ends up feeling condescending to an extent. It’s something I’ve never seen happen to a character before so hopefully it’s cleaned up a little bit for season 2. It’s not technically his personality or anything though so I wouldn’t dock his character any points for that or anything like that. I was surprised that he wasn’t going to initially enter the tournament though. It feels like he underestimates his own abilities quite a bit.

Considering that he doesn’t exactly have unlimited time to reach his best friend, you’d think that he would do every single event in order to climb up. It was the one moment that felt almost out of character for him. Still, the guy stands up to bullies and is always beating up on the villains so how could you not like the guy right?

Then we have the main heroine Colette who is pretty fun. She’s easy to feel bad for because she often tries to get close to Will but trolls stop her from really making it. She’s a strong fighter in her own right as well even if she doesn’t always run to the battlefield. If we ever get more of an arc that is focused on her then I think we’ll see more of that. She was able to beat a Julius clone and did it rather easily after all. I like that she always defends Will and is a sand up character so she is one of the better heroines.

The first rival is Sion and I’d say he is another character that the show did a really good job with. He has fire abilities which is always a must for a rival and the guy has a big ego. He is always running in to cause chaos and deal out a bunch of damage. The guy starts out as a petty bully but we quickly get a whole lot of development for him. I would say that it is all handled really well too. The guy speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to lose a fight if it means getting what he wants. I’d say he has more depth than your average bully and I already see him becoming one of the best characters in the series.

Julius is the first serious villain. He’s rather insane and while he quickly starts to become a better person, you can’t forget that he nearly did try to skewer Will. It’ll take a little longer to take him seriously as a good guy but the guy’s strength is definitely the real deal. He is one of the strongest in the school among the students so even with the others beginning to catch up, I imagine he will stay relevant for a long while.

He will always be in the shadow of Elfaria when it comes to ice users though. She is so far ahead of him that it’s scary. Apparently her skills as a toddler were enough to really be on his level which has to feel like crazy disrespect. She seems like someone who is rather aloof and doesn’t care about much. Still, she is supportive of Will and that’s the only time she shows her more emotional side. I would say that she is already more fun than Colette as a heroine despite how good the other character is. I look forward to finally seeing Elfaria fight at some point.

Wignall is another one of the geniuses in the school but his stocks definitely plummet as the series goes on. The guy is still tough to be sure but I would say he has way more weaknesses than the others. His illusion skills just never feel like they will be as handy as the more classic elements like fire and ice. Those can be used in basically every scenario after all while illusions always have so many rules and limitations. It’s really not a fair competition when you look at it like that. I think he could start to rebound for the next season but for now I’m not all that impressed.

Lihanna is one of the elites who actually lives up to her rep and looks really good. Her lightning fast combat skill is a fun one to watch and so most monsters will get absolutely shredded as soon as the fight starts. If anything, I just wish we could have seen her fight more. For the most part her final action scenes were off screen but we know that she did put in a good fight and lasted for a while. She trusts her gut instincts which is always important and of course she had enough skills to get a top rank in the first place. I look forward to seeing more of her soon.

Rosti is Will’s roommate and he likes messing with Colette. Well, not sure if I should say “messing with” to be honest since he does seem to actually be really possessive. Still, I felt bad for Colette the whole time so I’m waiting for her to take the gloves off and beat him up. For now Rosti is more of a supportive fighter and so I wouldn’t expect any fight scenes. That really does limit his potential a whole lot as well. He is unlikely to become one of the better characters without some massive changes.

Workner is a character I can’t take seriously just yet. He is on Will’s side and defends the kid but at the end of the day he isn’t actually defending him from any of the villains or those who would beat him up. So he’s not much of a friend in the end now is he? I want to see him actually fight and stand up for Will more. Right now it’s just not enough and if anything he doesn’t even believe in Will enough. Sometimes he trusts him to win and sometimes he just doesn’t. I prefer Edward as a character because at least that guy is actually very direct. He just wants Will out of the school no matter what and will do whatever he can in order to achieve this.

Edward is a total villain, there’s no way around that. He’s just a fun villain though so it’s easy to root against him. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually though. For now we haven’t seen many of the actual villains but two do appear in the climax. They already look quite powerful as they decimated a bunch of the teachers so I look forward to how that plays out. They have great designs and superb abilities so I have really high hopes. The monster fights are cool and all but I am definitely ready to be fighting some fellow humanoids here. It’s just a completely different game at that point.

We also briefly see the top tier heroes who were out on the expedition. For now it’s hard to say much about them until the next season occurs. I already like the kid though, he seems like another non magic user which is always a really good sign. You now the guy is going to be ultra powerful. He reminds me of Meliodas from Seven Deadly Sins but without any of the obvious downsides. We also have to see how Elfaria’s teammates fare since they all are naturally getting a ton of hype. There was definitely a whole lot that got set up here so this could end up being a really long running series.

Overall, Wistoria is a great title and I would definitely recommend checking it out. Hopefully the next season comes out sooner than later. Whether you are here for the big action scenes or the strong character interactions, you should be in for a good time. It’s a title that is easy to get into and you can never have too many titles like this. The commoner rising above the status quo and showing that magic isn’t completely necessary is great. Even in video games I always prefer to be a fast swordsman than more of a slow fighter who relies on magic.

Overall 8/10

Natsume’s Book of Friends Season 6 Review

Posted on November 8, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for some more Natsume! It’s still really impressive to me how the series has lasted this long. 6 seasons is really nothing to sneeze at no matter how you slice it. Season 7 has already started as well so at this rate I’m expecting it to reach season 10 at some point. After all it’s not like the show has any indication that it’s about to end right? The main story could keep us here for a long time and this season actually felt a lot more story focused than previous ones. Maybe I shouldn’t say a lot, but we had very tangible plot developments here which was nice to see.

The basic premise of the story is one that you should be very familiar with by now but basically Natsume is able to see supernatural beings known as Yokai. These creatures are always haunting him and trying to cause a whole lot of trouble on the back-end. They aren’t particularly powerful but the real danger is in their numbers. Eventually a curse will do you in. Fortunately Natsume has befriended a powerful Yokai god named Nyanko. Together they survive and live life while Natsume slowly gives each Yokai back their name through the Book of Friends. Once it is empty, they will finally leave him alone.

The first episode is a fun one to start off with as a Yokai turns Natsume back into being a kid. He doesn’t have his grown up memories at this point and so his friends have to keep him out of danger for a while. Naturally this is a rather difficult task since as a kid he already had confidence issues and gets scared easily. Still, it all works out and it was fun to see a younger Natsume finally get some reassurance about the supernatural. We know in the main timeline he was really on his own for a long while there until he finally got raised by a nice family. It’s definitely going for those emotional vibes and they really hit well here.

In the second episode we have more of what I would call a classic one shot story. Takashi bumps into a Yokai who is in a whole lot of trouble. He is a rock washer and needs to find his apprentice. It follows the formula of Takashi helping a strange monster in need and that’s really it. Nothing wrong with these one shot episodes of course, in a lot of ways they are what got the series to be so big. It can be nice to see Natsume just hanging out and having a good time. I’m just glad this wasn’t the first episode because it would have really lacked impact. For example there isn’t much you could use for emotional value to Natsume here whereas in the first, it’s all about seeing hos his child self would react to the present.

After that we have the return of Shibata. He’s a guy who wasn’t much of a friend to Takashi at all back in the day but is a lot nicer now and sometimes contacts him when supernatural stuff is going on. I rather enjoy Shibata quite a lot as a character because it seems like he is looking out for Natsume in his own way. Making sure that Natsume has friends and is doing okay. In fact, this time he mainly called to hang out but of course this does turn into a haunted episode with Natsume having to dig deep and help out. Friends who are there for you through thick and thin are always important to have around. It was also nice to have Tanuma get a role. He has a really done a good job of cementing himself as one of Takashi’s best friends.

Now we have our first multi part episode adventure. Basically Takashi ends up going to a mansion that is being haunted by 3 ghosts. They used to work for the head of the household but as he grew older, he could no longer see them. So now his daughter is trying to figure out a way to keep him safe without the guy knowing. To this end, she called her friend Natori who is a professional exorcist. Takashi getting involved was really a coincidence. It would technically be easy for Natori to just exorcise these yokai but it’s no as if they are evil. So Takashi begs Natori to give him a chance to talk to them. The clock is ticking!

I liked that this was a return to the dangerous episodes of the series. Natsume could have been in real trouble here since some of the spirits were quite ready to hurt him. We also got a really good jump scare with one of the attendants not being what she appeared to be. Finally there was also the Book of Friends plot being brought back as Natori heard more than Takashi was hoping for. All in all, it was a really high stakes adventure and one that really held up well. Natori also continues to look good as a solid rival character while also being just shady enough where you aren’t sure if Natsume should trust him. Now that’s what adds some intrigue to the case.

After that is more of a low key episode as we see how Natsume met his school friends back in the day. Natsume definitely looked like a real odd ball back then as he wasn’t quite as good as bluffing. So when a yokai would appear Natsume was quite obvious about it. This made things rocky at the start but ultimately it all worked out. Like I said earlier, the emotional episodes that are mainly related to Natsume tend to be the best ones and so this was another really solid episode. It was good to see how things got better for Natsume here and it also gave the school friends a little more depth since I tend to just ignore them most of the time.

Then we go back to a more low key story. A yokai is about to get married and wanted to invite Takashi’s grandmother to the event. Of course she couldn’t but Takashi is happy to go. It’s one of those wholesome episodes and a reminder that sometimes things can just go really well for the crew. Yokai aren’t always shady and evil and that’s really Natsume’s whole argument for why he won’t become an exorcist. He does believe that some Yokai should be helped while others would just exterminate the lot of them. It’s also a topic where it is very difficult to get others to agree. So often times he will end up butting heads with the others if it comes down to that.

Speaking of nice Yokai, the next episode follows that up. There’s a crow type yokai who was real good friends with a human girl but eventually he broke things off because he could tell that she was catching feelings. The problem is that he’s worried she hasn’t properly moved on. Fortunately she sends a wedding invite to him so he will appear and finally close out the matter with her. He will properly congratulate her on finding a real person to marry and Natsume ends up getting dragged into this. It’s a pretty fun story and I agree with the Crow’s logic, just not his methods. It does make sense to establish some boundaries with a human since it’s not like she could ever truly be with a yokai. That being said, he still should have said something instead of just running off.

Ghosting like that is definitely the coward’s way out in the end and definitely not something to be praised. In the end her plan to ensnare him was quite clever as well. She had to take some real big risks for that plan so you were happy for her. The romance may be doomed so the ending is more on the bitter sweet side but as far as romances are, this was actually written really well so I was quite impressed.

After that, we probably have the weakest episode for me. Maybe, I mean it wasn’t bad or anything but there just wasn’t much to it. So Natsume and friends are on vacation at a place called the 4 masks but one of them is a Yokai so humans only see 3 of them. We get some backstory on this and Natsume helps the mask out but I wasn’t quite as invested in this one. It just didn’t feel all that special or interesting and one shot stories at least need some kind of a hook right?

Then we get to the next big 2 part adventure with Natori returning once more. So yes by this point we can really say that Natori is the signifier that things are really getting big. This time a bunch of exorcists from a bunch of clans were called in to get rid of all magic traces from a sorcerer who died. His next of family doesn’t want to deal with all of that. So Natsume helps out with also looking for some notes in particular and along the way Natori finds out more about the Book of Friends. This basically forces Natsume to finally reveal his piece as well. A very important story arc to be sure because now the book is finally in the open. This was the perfect way to end the season if you ignore the bonus episodes. Probably the best episodes in the season I would say.

Now we get to the bonus episodes which scale things back a bit. The first one is about an old man yokai who whistles a good tune and is always on a tree stump. He seems to be forgotten so Natsume brings along someone who used to know him. It’s a pretty nice story. I didn’t care much about the old yokai but the messaging was nice enough. At the end of the day there’s nothing wrong with having a wholesome story every once in a while right?

Then we have the second bonus episode where a girl finds a ring that belongs to a mysterious Owl yokai that approached her. She bumps into Natsume who decides to help her out. It’s pretty fun to see Natsume from an outsider’s perspective here. He looks in control the whole time. Perhaps a bit crazy but he’s no stranger to the occult. I didn’t really care for the Owl though who was immediately rushing to the idea of taking away the girl’s memory despite how hard she worked to help him out. I never like when a character gets their memories taken away and this was no exception. The whole framing of the episode was great though which makes up for not really liking the ending all that much.

So yeah that wraps up the season. Definitely a lot of interesting episodes in there. The biggest revelation was that in one of them, the Yokai mentions bumping into Natsume’s ancestor. He assumed this was Reiko but the Yokai confirmed that it was a man. So now for the first time we have hints to Natsume’s grandfather, assuming that is who the Yokai was talking to. It was a very interesting plot point because there are still a lot of mysteries in the past. So I definitely look forward to seeing how that plays out.

Naturally seeing what Natori does next is also a big item. That guy is truly a wild card and a dangerous one at that. You don’t really know what he’s thinking and while I would say he is a good guy, his ideas of morality do clash with Natsume’s. If he decides to take the book by force then naturally I won’t be able to root for him. One way or another you expect this plot to come to a head soon.

As always the animation is decent but nothing all that great or outstanding. There are no cuts that will really wow you or any bits of animation that are super colorful. It’s really just standard and doing its job for a slice of life show but that’s it. I would like them to improve the budget at some point though. While it’s true that this kind of show doesn’t need great animation, I absolutely would not turn it down either. Likewise the soundtrack is only okay. The theme song is really weak and the main tunes are the same that they have been since season 1. It’s time for the technical aspects to actually improve instead of just coasting along for the ride. In the end it feels like that is all that they are doing after all.

Overall, Natsume’s Book of Friends continues to chug along. I would say this was easily one of the best seasons thanks in large part to the mystery around Natsume’s possible grandfather and Natori finally learning about the book of friends. It feels like this could really go in some interesting directions so we will just have to see how that plays out. If you’re this far into the series then of course you have to check out season 6. if you are a brand new viewer then you can still get what’s going on right away to be honest. That is one of the benefits of being a slice of life show after all.

Overall 7/10

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