Spy X Family Code: White Review

Posted on May 3, 2025 by dreager1

It’s definitely cool that Spy X Family got a big movie already. Many titles never get a movie or it happens at the very end but at this rate the series can probably squeeze another 1-2 films in before the series is over. It’s a fun adventure with a new setting to have fun in. The fact that it’s a movie also allows us to get a really dynamic fight scene in and Yor hasn’t been this relevant in quite a while. It works as a really solid stand alone adventure.

The film starts off with Loid taking down another villain group but his secret organization is not impressed and still says he will need to be reassigned from his current project. The only way to convince them otherwise is to make some progress really fast. He figures the quickest way to do that is by getting his daughter Anya to win the cooking contest and get the elusive Stella grand prize. Loid knows that the judge loves a certain kind of cake but it is only sold in another town so he plans a big vacation with his wife Yor and Anya to go try it out. This should be a piece of cake.

Meanwhile Yor finished her latest assassin mission and murdered her opponents but the next day she sees Loid seemingly kissing another woman. Her friends happen to be talking about infidelity and tell Yor to watch out for 3 big red flags. Sudden vacations, lots of presents, and new clothing styles. Yor is now on red alert for this big trip to try a cake. Is that the real reason for this trip? While her marriage to Loid may be a ploy, she has started to catch feelings and won’t let this slip away so easily.

Finally Anya is always really hungry and unfortunately she broke into someone’s luggage and ate their chocolate. What is even more unfortunate about this is that inside the chocolate was a tiny microchip containing a lot of important data and so now the government is after her. They need the data and aren’t afraid to murder Anya to get it. As Anya is just a child she doesn’t quite recognize the immense danger that she is in. Has she just doomed them all?

I would say that the 3 plots converge eventually but technically the 3 characters are together for most of the adventure. They just don’t know the specifics of what the other is doing for the most part. It makes for a fun dynamic and everyone gets something to do. It probably goes without saying that Anya has the weakest plot of the 3 though. For starters the whole thing is her fault since she should not have been eating other people’s chocolate. Yes, the eating part was an accident but she still opened the suitcase on her own which was not a good idea. We get a trippy dream sequence about using the bathroom as well which felt like something out of Teen Titans Go. Definitely not what I was expecting here.

Anya definitely means well but you can see why she is still just a kid. She isn’t quite prepared for this situation. I’d have traded in her scenes for Yuri getting to do a bit more. He looked great here as he was immediately ready to go save Yor when he heard that she was in a dangerous place. Yuri was ultimately stopped but it is the thought that counts. He’s the kind of guy you can really count on to help as needed. Maybe he will get more to do in the next film.

Loid looks solid as always. He is always trying to basically do everything on his own and does a good job there. He doesn’t want to make anyone worry after all and he’s trained for things like this. he can always handle himself well in a fight and thinks his next move through carefully. He may not be perfect at reading the other characters but who is right? At the end of the day he continues to get closer to achieving his objective.

Meanwhile Yor does really well here. She did well to take down the two guys attacking Anya near the beginning and her fight within the burning ship was great. The background was really intense and the animation got to shine there. Dealing with someone who is basically not even human anymore is no small feat and this is a fight where even Loid would have been in trouble. She really had to use her athleticism and smarts to take this guy down. Her opponent would probably end up being one of the strongest enemies in the series. It’s also a fight that really benefits from being in a movie where the staff can really show off with the animation.

As a whole the animation is quite solid here. It may not be looking like Dragon Ball or My Hero, but it still shines considering that this isn’t first and foremost an action story. It manages to contain action stories that would make those titles proud. The soundtrack is a bit more forgettable. I was expecting at least one big lyrical song to play during the climax but what we got was still decent. Soundtrack is just something that I think the movie could have worked a whole lot harder on.

Yor getting jealous and insecure may be a bit of a stale plot point already but it’s not like that is the sole focus of the movie. It would have been dicey if that was the case but the movie has a lot going on throughout. Anya aside, the humor tends to be good and the film is very fast paced. Bond gets the shaft here but it’s not like there is much you could have expected him to do here anyway. This is really a mission for the top two fighters in the business and they get the job done. As I said before, it’s an easy film for new watchers to get into as well since the basics of the plot are explained at the very beginning. If you’re up for a fun action/adventure title then you’ve come to the right place.

Overall, This was definitely a pretty good film. It was fun seeing the characters in action again and Yor definitely had the best moments here. Every time there was a fight it was definitely a lot of fun to see. At times the film could maybe be moving a bit slowly and you don’t really care about Anya’s scenes all that much. While the new setting helps make this feel like a film, I would also say it feels more like an extended episode compared to other big films like Demon Slayer and the DBS Broly film. So it may not be nonstop hype all the time but there was definitely enough of it going around where it still ends up being a quality title all the way. It’s a chance to see the characters in a new adventure never before seen in any format and that alone is worth the cost of admission.

Overall 7/10

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Review

Posted on April 27, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for a really great romance film. I often say that romance is handled rather badly in movies and so it’s always good to have an anime film show up to remind me that this kind of a story can be done well. The title is a real mouthful but it is a great movie through and through. Get ready for a lot of emotional punches to be thrown at you throughout the movie.

The film starts by explaining there there is a secret tunnel in this one town. When you go inside it, you are disconnected from time itself. You can reclaim anything that you have lost within that tunnel but it will cost you something in return…your time. 3 seconds in there is close to 2 hours in the real world. So that’s a great deal of time. If you trip or spend too much time in there, well you will have been gone for a very long time. You would have to be crazy to believe that this tunnel really exists….and even crazier to give it a try. You should not dwell on the past…..

BUT THAT”S HOW A NORMIE WOULD THINK!!!! Kaoru realizes that this is how he can bring his sister Karen back to life. She dies when they were children in a tragic accident that tore his family apart. His father is constantly drunk now and beats him while his mother left a long time ago. There is no bringing the past back to life but bringing Karen into existence might be able to help things. A new transfer student named Anzu shows up to class and she’s interested in the tunnel as well. Her goals remain a mystery to Kaoru but he is happy to have company. Still, can he really allow this girl to throw her life away? Going far enough into the tunnel to find Karen could mean that decades and decades of time will have passed. Possibly even hundreds of years.

First up one of the things that I liked about the film was that it didn’t try to really prove why you should not dwell on the past. Some films can be heavy handed about this but in this case the movie didn’t seem to have a problem with the goal itself. Kaoru needed some closure and so the tunnel was the way he would need to go in order to get it. When you have something that can change reality like the tunnel then I’d argue that you probably need to use it. Why wouldn’t you use something like that right? It just makes perfect sense.

The tunnel itself is certainly scary but we see how Kaoru really has nothing to lose. Yes he has a friend at school but there are no other serious connections. It only makes sense that he would be fine with tossing his life into the void. I’d probably have at least stuffed some money into a savings account so I’d have a nice sum upon my return but beyond that you might as well jump into the void. You could say that Anzu is the only real complication here since now he is slowly having a reason to keep on existing in the present.

Anzu is rather depressed and also doesn’t really have any friends or close family to keep her tethered to this world. That said, this slowly does begin to change as the film goes on. It leads to a really selfish move on Kaoru’s part though. I can definitely say that he made a huge mistake there and I wouldn’t blame Anzu for holding a grudge over that. She ends up being a really standout character not just for her tough personality in the present but for her loyalty and perseverance in the future as well. A lot of characters would have cracked or given in to rebounds sooner but not her.

I also liked that she stood up to the bullies right away in her school. That was a good way to solve the issue as opposed to just taking it or something like that. I always like when a character is guarded and tough to start out with. Anzu wasn’t accepting favors from anyone without a fight and she could defend herself. So that made for a high quality character. Meanwhile I also thought Kaoru was a really solid main character. Again I really appreciated his determination. He had a goal and was really determined to see it through. He didn’t waiver but he also gave Anzu the choice to turn back when he saw that she was having doubts as well.

Kaoru had to endure a whole lot over the years and he never let any of it crush him. That can definitely be tough to handle. Now I do think he should have ensured that he recovered what was lost and then went back to the real world. Based on how the tunnel works this should have been possible. I actually thought Anzu was going to be the one to save him by virtue of her “losing him” which would fit the criteria. Some pretty interesting ways it could have ended but the way it was handled was also good. We got enough repercussions where it didn’t feel like the movie had a cop out here.

It instead feels like an ending where none of the characters will have any regrets. It’s a super satisfying ending and yes it was a really well developed romance. I can say that it clears almost every romance I’ve seen in a very long time. The relationship took a while to develop and made sense with what they had gone through together. It’s just easy to root for. Meanwhile Karen may never have appeared in the present but she still left a good impact. It’s clear that she was a really good character and you can see why Kaoru missed her. It’s always nice to see a character like that who looks on the bright side of things and keeps the vibe light.

Kaoru’s father unfortunately got worse and worse as the film went on. Naturally it goes without saying that there is no excuse to get so drunk that you hit your son. It also sounds like this wasn’t the first time that he hit him. Then showing up later on with a surprise wife? Even the way he handled Kaoru when the latter was throwing up (Throwing him out of the room) showed how crazy he was. I was expecting some kind of redemption arc for the guy but it never happened. At least thanks to the way the ending goes, Kaoru shouldn’t have to deal with this.

The animation is pretty solid here. The film gets to really show off with the tunnel which looked really nice. The colors were striking and it definitely had a good air of mystery about it. I also liked how the flip phone looked which is always a retro design. The whole thing looks nice. The soundtrack is a little more forgettable but the lyrical song at the end is solid. The movie does well enough on the technicals.

Overall, I always enjoy a good film about time travel. It’s more appropriate to say this was about time displacement though as there is no actual travelling through time here. Regardless, you get the idea though. The concept was really interesting and the story is super engaging. The film has its share of sad and happy moments along with a great ending to tie it all together. I would definitely recommend this one. It’s a great title and you won’t be forgetting it anytime soon after you have watched the movie.

Overall 8/10

My Happy Marriage Season 2 Review

Posted on April 27, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for the return of the rare romantic drama series over the many romantic comedies running around. Typically I’d say that a comedy will always beat a drama but this has been a good show. The first season was fun enough although held back by Miyo herself. Season 2 is a definite improvement but Miyo continues to develop rather slowly and isn’t really being aware enough of her surroundings. She needs to tap into the classic power fantasy elements that have made characters like Jinwoo and Boruto living legends. Miyo has the abilities for this, such is her birth right. So now we need to see her using them.

We’re able to squeeze in a few different arcs throughout this season. The first few episodes are about Miyo finally meeting Kudou’s parents. Naturally this is always a fairly big moment in any romance series. As you would probably expect from Kudou’s demeanor, his mother is quite strict. She begins bullying Miyo in earnest and when Miyo doesn’t fight back, the bullying only intensifies. In a way she seems upset that Miyo isn’t tougher since Kudou’s partner has to be strong. Kudou’s father is a lot more mild in comparison. It’s a fun enough way to start the arc although it’s fair to say that it’s the weakest arc of the season. Miyo just doesn’t handle herself with enough poise here and we should have been done with the bullying stuff by the end of season 1. Nobody should be able to mess with Miyo by this point.

Miyo has come a long way from the days of season 1 where she was a punching bag to every character in existence. She doubts herself less here although she still moves with less poise and authority than she should. Miyo is at
her best when Kudou’s life is on the line as she quickly proves that she doesn’t have a “No kill” rule. That’s a good thing in this kind of verse where it would be difficult to imprison everyone and you have to deal with politics running around. She is slowly getting more used to using her powers in an offensive way as well.

Miyo has a ways to go but if she keeps up her training then she will be a force to be reckoned with. The problem is that she seems to be actively deciding not to practice her abilities and I could see that being a huge problem down the road. When you have special abilities I would argue that it is your duty to practice using them and improving your craft. It’s just not an optional obligation by that point and I need her to start embracing this. Miyo also needs to work on establishing stronger boundaries like not letting Arta constantly pine after her. Shutting that guy down once and for all would be a good thing and I’d also argue that she could probably tone down her attempts to sympathize with everyone.

Sympathizing with a guy who has been on a big mass murder spree just isn’t the right move if you ask me. So Miyo had her ups and downs here but if she continues the trend of getting better after every season then we should be in a good place. Meanwhile Kudou is still a solid character as always who is ready to take Miyo’s side. He defends her from everyone including family so I appreciate his loyalty. He is generally more confident and uses his powers as needed. While his battle intelligence takes a huge hit in this season, he looks good beyond that. It’s a case where his core personality is still really good which is the main important part. He also makes a big decision near the end of the series that was definitely a good one. I can see this being a huge benefit over the next seasons as he will have more free time now.

Kudou’s father Tadakiyo is a reasonably fun character. He takes a more laidback approach as he lets his wife largely do whatever she wants. He is happily retired and just likes to keep the peace. It means that you can’t really count on him in daily affairs but he can fight as needed. He’s not a particularly interesting character as a result but he gets the job done. His wife Fuyu starts off as a big bully but softens up later on. I think the anime’s pacing was a little too quick in this case though as she basically becomes a completely different character within a few episodes. That was a little annoying but I suppose she’s still solid enough. Maybe the writer just figured things would be too hard on Miyo to have to deal with another big bully and so that plot was cut short.

As always Arata is around and I really appreciate the open disdain that Kudou shows him the whole time. Kudou just can’t stand the guy and with good reason. Miyo may be able to overlook a kidnapping attempt and some flirting but not her future husband. Arata seems like one of those guys who just can’t take a hint and is always on the wrong side of every matter. His plan is absolutely terrible in this season and I’m convinced that he is basically just around to hold Miyo back. She needs to cut this guy out already. Honestly he’s just gone way too far for anyone to ever trust him. I don’t see him ever really going up as a character.

We start to get glimpses of the main plot as the legendary Usui declares that he will be taking Miyo. This guy is the most powerful member of the Usuba clan and he can use complete hypnosis to mess with your 5 senses. So as a result he could be anyone or anywhere. Kudou takes Miyo to a guardsman base for her protection where she meets a girl named Kaoruko. The problem is that Kaoruko also likes Kudou and most of the soldiers here are all big bullies for no reason. Will Miyo have what it takes to put an end to this once and for all?

For the record I don’t think taking Miyo to this base is a terribly good idea but no location would be all that safe. Realistically there is no defense against Usui due to his ability. The main plan that would have made sense would have been to expedite her training instead. Still, it’s a good chance for Miyo to make friends and she handles herself pretty well in this arc as she stands up to the bullies and defends Kaoruko. If anything it’s just a really bad look for the army that they are unaware of all this treatment or simply don’t care.

Kaoruko makes for a fun character. She is a solid fighter and doesn’t let all the bullying get her down. I did have some suspicions about her that ended up being well founded but despite that she is okay. It just feels like there is not much of a point to her being in the story just yet so we’ll have to see if that changes for future arcs. Since she seems to be lacking in particularly strong abilities, I don’t see her being very useful in a fight. Her last big appearance is mainly crying at a party so it was a rather sad way to go out.

The big climax happens when Usui finally makes his move and kidnaps Kudou. For once it looks like Miyo will have to be the one to save the day and fortunately she is aided by Kudou’s shikigami. Although what she doesn’t know is that the Shikigami shares all of Kudou’s senses and he gets the memories so Miyo would definitely be rather embarrassed if she realized what was going on. Nevertheless, it’s time for action and the shikigami is unfortunately very weak so she will still have to do most of the heavy lifting on her own. Not like this will be the first time that she has done so though so this ought to be easy. It’s just the first time in a combat sense.

The final arc has quite a bit of action which is nice. It also gives the soldiers something to do as they fight a bit in the subplot. In general I always found the soldiers’ plot to be rather boring compared to the main Miyo plot but at least it went somewhere. The show was hinting early on at a possible argument between Miyo and Kudou when he rats out a protest group but nothing came of it. Maybe it was just showing that she was a bit sympathetic instead of her being upset. Still, it’ll be interesting if that turns into anything.

The soldiers have powers and such but they all feel so weak. Kudou has one right hand man who is important but most of the soldiers are rank and file otherwise. I think their plot will be more interesting as we get to learn about more and more of the specific soldiers within the group. That’ll help balance things out a bit there. Also we’ll need their plot to be good because assuming we don’t get another fighter like Usui for a bit, I’m not sure the romance is enough for the show to hang its hat on.

The romance between Kudou and Miyo does tend to be rather weak. I like the fact that it’s not a rebound or anything like that but Miyo is much too timid and since the two characters are ultra stiff around each other, there isn’t much in the way of banter. You could pull out a random anime from any year and it would probably have a better romantic dynamic between the leads. Maybe that will change in the next saga, hopefully it does. I would imagine this should be a natural part of the development.

As for Usui, he was a good main villain. His overall plan was rather lackluster but he does have a sad backstory. He just mishandled the whole situation and let things quickly get out of hand. The show also may have made him a bit too powerful. There’s a reason why complete hypnosis is used so sparingly in media. There is basically no counter to it. You need a high tier series with FTL fighters like Bleach for a proper fight to really be put into action. Realistically Usui should be able to handle the entire verse here. His ability to be completely invisible is unmatched and of course he is also an expert sword fighter. The show may have used this guy up a little too soon but of course there could be stronger characters in the winds. We’ll have to see.

The animation looks solid here. The show gets to show off a bit more this time since there are more action scenes at the ready. It’s always fun to see the fire and electricity shooting out at the opponents. The hand to hand fights are also solid as are the sword battles. Towards the end some of the fight scenes do make you shake your head a bit though. I get the feeling that the author is definitely not used to fight scenes as much as the romantic ones. For example Kudou’s final fight just doesn’t make sense as he seems to forget object permanence immediately. He knows good and well that his opponent has the ability of illusions and yet he’s shocked every time his attack doesn’t land.

Throughout the fight he learns nothing and makes the same mistakes over and over. It just makes Kudou look absolutely terrible as opposed to making the villain look better. As someone who was said to be the strongest in the verse, I would expect more out of Kudou. Particularly since his abilities have a wide range of destructive effect. So it shouldn’t be particularly hard for him to land a blow by predicting where the villain will be and striking. Yeah it was not a good look for him.

Meanwhile the soundtrack isn’t bad although it’s not particularly memorable. I would like the next season to really introduce some proper battle themes. The theme song is also okay but that’s about it. So you could say that the soundtrack is more of a weak point in general. This is a story that has to thrive more on the plot and fights which is fine, the series is able to do that. A nice soundtrack would be appreciated though, so fingers crossed for the next season.

Overall, This season brought more action which was definitely nice. At times the actual story is still not the most engaging though and the show’s attempts at humor tends to be on the weak side. It’s not really the kind of show where you’ll crack a smile. That said, we’re finally approaching the wedding and it’s about time since that should have happened already. I’m ready for Miyo to embrace her role as a Kudou and really start to show off some confidence. This is her chance to shine and she can’t let anybody stop her. If she continues to develop her powers as well then she should be a real threat. Also a change of scenery could be nice for the characters to get away from the main cities and not be tied down by regulations. Could be a nice way to explore their being a power couple. If you’re looking for a solid romance to check out, this one fits the bill.

Overall 6/10

Charlotte Review

Posted on April 17, 2025 by dreager1

Charlotte is definitely quite the rollercoaster ride. The show begins as a happy comedic slice of life for most of its run but then takes a sharp dive into being a rather dark drama. One episode in particular feels super extreme next to the others and so you can never really guess what will happen next. I tend to have quite a lot of issues with the series as it began to end in terms of plot points and abilities working a little oddly. Still, you will be on the edge of your seat the whole time, that’s for sure.

The series starts off by introducing us to Yuu who is far from your average anime protagonist. This guy is a perv who cheats on his exams and basically misuses his power in every way. He has the ability to take over another person’s body for 5 minutes and in that time his original body falls unconscious. So it can be a bit dangerous since your body might slam to the ground hard but also 5 seconds isn’t very long so that can also backfire really heavily since you may return to your body before completing your objective. Still Yuu has managed to be quite popular and nearly nabs the girl of his dreams but then he is defeated by the supernatural student council. Tomori and her gangs now have blackmail on him and force the guy to transfer students and help in finding other metahumans. All of them must come to the school where they can do no more harm. Yuu’s no hero though so how will he escape from these guys?

That’s the plot for the majority of the show at least. As it goes on we get a lot more depth to the world though like with evil organizations on the rise and things like that. It really expands and gets pretty interesting with all the ramifications of what’s possible. That being said, the show really needed more episodes because the ending gets super rushed. I like how sudden it all occurs because we get to be shocked like Yuu but there are a lot of parts that absolutely fall apart. We’ll get to all of that but the character roster is fairly small so lets talk about them.

First up is Yuu and of course like I explained he is not a very nice guy. He would be one of the big villains if we based him on the very first episode’s appearance. Fortunately he does improve from there which is good but it’s a bit too slow for my liking. For example once we’re already deep into his character arc, he notices Tomori being beaten up by a bunch of thugs and does not arrive to help her. He simply does nothing and judging from Jojiro’s reaction, he is aware of it as well and does nothing. It’s just a true shame because the plotline is never addressed. For all we know she is still bullied.

Yuu also falls to the darkness more than once after this event so he’s inconsistent at best. He could have used his powers to really help out humanity but instead he always picks the wrong path. Perhaps he’s just inexperienced but you do lose a lot of patience with him by the end. He should have improved a lot quicker and with less setbacks. Then he would have been a character you could get behind. So yeah by the end of the series I was still not a fan of his.

Then you have Tomori who is a fun heroine. Her whole mission does put her in a lot of danger since she is always going after metahumans. She is very quick to violence as well but ultimately she comes off as a much more balanced character. I do think she looks a little too weak in the climax of the series though. I expected her to be putting up much more of a fight. Her power is that she can appear invisible to one person at a time which is of course a huge drawback. My main issue is that the show itself seems to forget that several times.

We get a twist at one point that she was following Yuu around for ages and yet nobody commented on her at all even when it would have made sense like when his old friend was around or when Yuu was beating people up. From where she was standing it didn’t look like she was even trying to hide. Naturally this ability is next to useless in most cases but that’s part of the fun in the show. You have all these crazy abilities but they all have tons of downsides. (Until the end of the series anyway) It’s a pretty fun gimmick. Either way Tomori showed that she was the only one really ready to lead this team.

As for Jojiro, he has super speed but basically cannot control it. He can pick a direction and zoom off like a bullet but it also means he has a hard time doing anything while moving at that speed. He often injures himself in the process so it’s another unusable power. He was a fun character but once Yusa joins the crew, it does basically destroy his character because his one trait quickly becomes about being obsessed over her. It completely takes over his character to the point where he is written out in the end, the villains don’t even bother going after him.

Yusa is a lot of fun because of her split personality. Dead spirits can inhabit her body and so it turns out her older sister is living inside of her and can take control at any point. Yusa doesn’t remember what happens while she is taken over. Her sister Misa has fire powers with seemingly no drawback so right off the bat it’s one of the best powers you could possibly have. Yusa tend to be a bit of a space case while Misa is the tough one who is always picking fights. Naturally you can probably guess that Misa is my favorite character from the two as a result. Honestly they could have used her during the action scenes since she could definitely hold her own. Ultimately the way she goes out is very underwhelming.

Ayumi has a very big role as Yuu’s younger sister. She is always trying to look out for him by replicating her mother’s recipes and generally being very reliable. She does a good job of going with the flow and always having a very upbeat attitude. Ayumi always keeps the atmosphere bright and was a really good supporting character, I would even say that she was probably one of the best characters in the series. She absolutely needed to have a good ending in order for the series to work.

On a technical level the show is also quite solid. The animation looks really good and the character designs are very colorful. The fights that we do get look really good. In particular Yuu goes up against a swordswoman at one point and the slash itself was super clean even if the whole sequence will definitely have you rolling your eyes. Like cmon now. Meanwhile the soundtrack is really solid. The opening song itself has a super retro feel to it. It sounds like a 90s theme song and I would say even the visuals match that. There are quite a few nice themes within the episodes as well so the series gets more props there as well.

The series also avoids one of the common anime pitfalls, namely fanservice. It’s not completely nonexistent but yeah the series did good there. There is a random scene near the very end when a character is stripped but that’s more for some dicey undertones. For the record I think it was a mental attack on the heroes and nothing actually happened and hopefully there’s no interview from the creator about how something did happen. That would just be needlessly dark like this was an episode of Sword Art Online or something.

Now as I mentioned, the series can go through tone shifts rather quickly. So in one moment you will be having some happy days and then suddenly you’ve got people being tortured and murdered. The violence isn’t particularly over the top or anything, I think it’s just the suddenness of it that pops out. The only real violent scene I would say was when one character got tortured. Most of it is offscreen and all but we still see the aftermath which was real gruesome. It shows just how dark the world can get even if we didn’t get to see most of it.

Okay now we’re going to start getting into some real spoiler territory. Yeah you could argue the whole review delves into spoilers but this is about to go more into detail so definitely give it a skip if you haven’t watched the show yet. You don’t want to ruin the big twists for yourself because this is a show with massive twists all around. Okay so last warning you want to skip the next 6 paragraphs. Here we gooooooooo.

The turning point in the series is when we find out that time travel has been going on for a long time. Shunsuke is Yuu’s older brother and his ability is that he can use any light to travel back in time. The catch is that every trip causes his eyesight to deteriorate so he cannot do this forever. If he continues this then eventually he will run out of “retries” if you will. The problem is that every timeline still ends with the adults capturing all the kids and murdering them/using them for experiments. In this timeline, he has attained peace for the most part. Not around the whole world but at least in Japan. Time is running out though as the terrorists are getting closer. So this ties in with Yuu and his ability to steal powers and thus, use time control.

I thought it was very effective how we were taken by surprise along with Yuu at the terrorists showing up and beginning their murder spree. Shunsuke’s peace came at a heavy cost in that the characters were unable to defend themselves. I would have liked the main characters to have looked a little better though. I found it really unlikely that Yuu would be crushed so quickly by one of the assassins and the excuses for not using time travel previously were extremely weak. Now the villains did have a clever plan which is to have had a hostage for many years before using their plan. That way unless the heroes are willing to time travel literal years into the past to counter the strategy, they are stuck. It’s hard, almost unfathomable to try and relive years of your life without making any changes. That’s just not going to happen and it’s exactly what the villains were banking on.

It’s great writing by the show and I agree with that much. However, Yuu could have absolutely time travelled, say 1 week into the past. Talk things over with the friends and just think of a plan. At the very least it is an attempt and it’s one without any real downsides. For that matter, in the present you can talk things over for a few days with everyone and then time travel. Time travel is just too broken of a power to not even consider here and I would say that was a real issue. It’s not a plot hole as of course it is a real choice the characters could make but it was an annoying decision.

I would also say this whole plot development opened a lot of interesting doors so that is why it was unfortunate that the series was already ending. You have terrorist groups across the world, other groups of powered fighters, etc. In every future timeline the governments are all evil as well. All of the powers immediately leave once the characters have finished being teenagers which also puts an end time limit on this provided that the heroes can make a cure. There are just a few episodes though so it’s all very fast.

We have a whole journey about how Yuu has to go around the world and absorb the powers of tens of thousands of fighters all on his own. By the end of the series he is near all powerful and it’s a really interesting development. Yet once again there just isn’t enough time to process it. I do like that most of the abilities aren’t shown to us exactly so we just see Yuu doing cool things and can assume as to what the power actually does. Once again though, time travel becomes an issue. He was blind but then he gets a healing power, meaning he can now travel through time. Seems like another good idea to go back in time right? Yuu could go on the journey early and save the world.

So as with many titles, time travel was ultimately the undoing of the series at least on a logic level. It opened up so many pathways to a better future that Yuu just ignored. I did really enjoy the story though even if Yuu falling into a depression for a second time was a little repetitive. His decision to not go back in time was also a big shot to both Shunsuke and Kunagami after all the years they put into this. I really liked Shunsuke, he was a really heroic character who really gave it his all. I could definitely admire that. Meanwhile Kunagami was also fun, especially with how well he was able to put on an act for years without people realizing the truth. Now that is definitely dedication. Their squad of fighters never really got a chance to develop but the series was pretty short.

Overall, Charlotte was a fun series. I do think it was a little too ambitious for its own good though. Ironically the series may have been a bit higher if it had stuck to the happy slice of life episodes from the first half. The second half had higher highs but also lower lows. It really needed one more cour to properly handle this plot. I always love a fast paced adventure but you still need to handle this a little more on screen. I’m skeptical of a lot of the developments by the end like the main characters actually holding off the terrorists while Yuu was gone since the government would have done something. Most things could have been held off with more time. At the end of the day though, this was a fun series and so I would definitely be able to recommend it. It has a lot of interesting ideas and really good world building at the ready. I’d certainly be up for an expanded cut or remake at some point.

Overall 6/10

Your Lie in April Review

Posted on March 22, 2025 by dreager1

Looks like we’ve got a little time loop shenanigan going on here right? Well it’s time to talk about the anime version of this series. It’s pretty similar to the manga, I’d say just sped up in some ways. It has to go pretty fast to adapt everything in time. It’s a pretty solid title for most of its run….until the ending which doesn’t survive any better than the manga. It ends up keeping this one from being a good title which is definitely unfortunate. If the anime could have only diverged from the manga, this title could have been saved.

The story follows a boy named Kousei who is still dealing with a lot of trauma after his physically abusive mother passed away. He was known as a complete child prodigy pianist. He could play the piano better than any other kid using a super mechanical style where he did not add his own personality to the music. Other kids resented him while the adults thought it was really impressive. His mother taught him well but it came at the expense of her humanity and he wasn’t really able to have friends.

Kousei isn’t able to hear music anymore and is definitely not at his best but he doesn’t play competitively anymore anyway. Well one day on the way to a double date (His childhood friend Tsubaki made him attend) he bumps into his best friend Watari’s date Kaori. Kaori also plays music via the violin and she quickly declares that he will support her in the competitions by being her accompanist. He doesn’t want to help her but she isn’t the kind of girl who takes no for an answer. So he will have to really get over the trauma here or it’s all over for him.

Kousei has to go through a lot during this series. You feel bad for him all the way because it’s more than you would want any kid to have to endure. I know that being a musician comes with sacrifice but this gets ridiculous after a while. he’s basically not allowed to live an ordinary life at all. Kousei puts in the work to get better and better but it’s really always matched by a trauma to set him back once again. The hero is a bit too timid for my liking which holds him back but I’ll cut him some slack. He can also be pretty hard on Kaori in order to raise her spirits but considering that she is quite sick as well, it makes a certain degree of sense.

So he’s got his flaws and all but at the end of the day Kousei is doing his best to help out. Meanwhile Kaori is a lot of fun. She always has a ton of energy and really keeps the characters together. She gave Kousei a reason to smile again and made good friends with the whole group in general. Not an easy feat when you are jumping into an existing friendship circle. Kaori just jumps in and it all works out. She definitely has a tough time of things as well but tries not to let anybody worry about her. So she puts on a brave face and keeps on looking forward.

Then we have the rival Takeshi who is a lot of fun. He feels like he could have been the main character in another series. He’s loud and always striving to be better and better. It’s a hard road to the top but he pulled it off. He still yearns to beat Kousei one on one but by every metric he has already surpassed the guy. It’s always nice when you see someone rise to the top through hard work and dedication outside of the main character. It can actually be rather rare.

Meanwhile Emi is the other rival and her skills are also good when she has the right motivation. Kousei is really the only motivation that works on her though. If she wans to be the best then she will need to get over that at some point. Additionally, while she likes Kousei, she never really made any obvious attempts at him. As a result it feels like a doomed romance from the start since none of them are mind readers. There is no realistic way for him to know what she is thinking after all. That’s just not how it all works. She’s a fun character though and the fact that she can reach the top level at all is definitely worth praising.

Nagi may not be at their level yet but she’s another mini rival to show up. Her role in the anime definitely feels quite a bit smaller though. She wants to mess with Kousei but basically drops that as a goal almost immediately. Here she just becomes another friend almost immediately. Nothing wrong with that of course but it would have been nice to have had a longer antagonist. She did good in not letting Kousei sabotage her big moment though. While it was portrayed as a teaching moment, I’d actually say it just made Kousei look bad the whole time. If she had not kept up with him when he started playing off tempo, she would have never come back from that.

Meanwhile poor Tsubaki can’t play the piano so she doesn’t really get to mix it up with the other characters as much. We see her internal struggles as she resents music a lot but her biggest problem is not really getting involved with the others. Her friend Kashiwagi tries to spur her on to get involved but it takes a long time for any progress. Being a little nervous is natural of course but if you stay on the sidelines forever then you will never make any progress. You have to continue to move forward. Unfortunately she is in an impossible situation due to the way the show ended and I don’t see her having any hope now. Ah well, there’s nothing wrong with just staying as friends and she can still be a super valued friend all the way to the end.

While Hiroko sympathizes with Kousei’s Mom too much, she was a solid mentor. I appreciated her being there for Kousei when he needed some help. She is a really solid coach and definitely someone who knew what she was doing. The grownups in this show definitely look rather decent when it counts so I could appreciate that. if anything it would have been fun to have seen her play the piano at least once during the series. We even got to hear the mother playing a bit before she died and that character was rough. There just isn’t any excuse for the way she was hitting Kousei back in the day. The death was still tragic but the series made her as unlikable as possible. There was really no redeeming factor for her here. Kousei wouldn’t have had to deal with so much trauma if she had treated him right.

Then of course we have Kousei’s best friend Watari. Watari’s a good friend who always looks out for everyone. Where he is found lacking is in being a reliable boyfriend. He’s always chasing after all the girls which is a bad look for him. Yes, we do see that he cares about Kaori by the end so you can say it’s one of those things where he cares about all of the girls but there is nothing genuine or noble about that. He comes off as an indecisive guy who chases after every skirt. It’s why he can only be relied on as a friend and definitely nothing more. He’s good natured and fun to have around but that’s about it for him.

The animation is pretty solid. It’s very bright and colorful. The scenes all transition together very well and the movement is good. There is even one death scene near the end that the anime extends a whole lot to really show off the animation effects. In that way it looked impressive but made the scene even sadder. Because it looks like the character is trying to hang on but it’s like the person is blowing up with lots of energy leaving the body. Resistance is futile and it’s a real spectacle. Then you later on have a background that looks like something out of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It was really cinematic all the way around. So I’d say the animation does a good job of elevating the content to a grand level, even if that isn’t quite enough to raise the score itself.

As for the soundtrack, it’s more on the okay side. None of the tunes are all that memorable. The openings are okay but probably not something I would be listening to all that frequently. It all works well enough for a fairly low key title like this one but otherwise I’d still take a more fast paced rock theme or something like that. Sometimes you just have to really surprise people with something new right? At least that’s the way I see it.

While this series is part romance, there aren’t really any pairings for you to root for. First you have Tsubaki and the random guy she had a crush on. It’s evident early on that she doesn’t actually love him a ton though and the guy doesn’t stick around for long. There is Watari and Kaori but it’s clear that Watari isn’t serious about the relationship so by those standards there’s no way you could root for this. Kousei likes Kaori but of course we definitely can’t root for that since she already has a boyfriend. That would be absolutely crazy. There is Tsubaki and Kousei but he doesn’t like her in that way so of course that was a doomed romance as well. Yeah, I guess there were no romances to root for here. It does you just how chaotic and all over the place the characters were. None of them were really ready for romance. At the end of the day they are basically kids so they’ve got a ways to go.

Okay skip these next two paragraphs that will deal with the spoiler content. Unless you’ve watched the show of course in which case you are definitely free to stick around. Just think about it carefully. Okay so of course as you’ve probably guessed Kaori dies. Additionally a random cat also dies to drive home the fact that the end of the series is super serious business. Nobody is really spared from the onslaught of rage and madness. In a lot of ways I think the saddest part about Kaori dying is that it feels like the series could have easily still had a sad ending if it wanted to by having her not able to play music just yet. Keep her in the wheelchair for a while or something. Actually bumping her off during the surgery though? It’s just too cruel.

The whole series is about moving past trauma but now Kousei ends up having a whole new trauma on top of that one. That’s exactly what I got out of this at least and it’s definitely not fitting in with the tone of fighting to the end. Sometimes things don’t work out but it’s still not the message that I would have been sending the viewers. In the end Kaori confesses her feelings but you could argue that’s the worst time to do it because now that she’s dead, Kousei has no way to respond. It’s just giving him more things to agonize over. I don’t see how he will ever manage to get over this no matter how the series tries to hint that he’ll be okay.

For the most part the series is definitely nice and happy which I appreciate. The episodes go by quickly as a result and the pacing is good. While the anime does have to jump past some manga elements quickly, it’s done in a seamless way where you will only notice something is missing if you read the manga. If you just watch the anime directly then I don’t see why you would suspect a thing. That shows just how well the anime was handled here. It is also nice to hear the actual piano playing even if I don’t understand it to the dramatic extent that the characters do as they decipher each note and cry about how beautiful it is.

Overall, Your Lie in April is definitely a pretty fun show for most of its run. I appreciate the themes of moving past trauma and all, at least while the show sticks to them. Ultimately though, a story like this completely depends on the writing and other elements backing it up. If those run out then you’re not going to have a good time. The ending just doesn’t work and it crushes the usual replay value that would be here. Sad stories are the hardest to do for that reason since everybody wants a happy ending. Or if not happy, then your task becomes 10X harder. It is definitely possible to do like the DBZ Trunks OVA from a long time ago. It’s just easy to backfire as well.

Overall 4/10

My Hero Academia Season 7 Review

Posted on March 9, 2025 by dreager1

All right folks, it’s time for what I dare say is the best season of My Hero Academia. The whole thing is basically a big string of fights with only some select periods of downtime. We’re clearly approaching the end game as every character gets some final moments to show what they can do. It’s a really satisfying watch and it’s also impressive to see how many seasons the show has got. It sadly won’t make it to 10 seasons since the manga ended but this was a generational run.

We start off with Star and Stripe showing up to foil Shigaraki’s plans and buy the heroes some more time. With her incredible abilities she is able to make a difference while Deku and the other heroes finally pull out the traitor from their midst. Now they are ready for the final showdown with the league of villains. All for One and Shigaraki are both in the picture. This whole war may very well ride on Deku and his mastery of the One for All quirk. Is he ready for the burden of protecting the planet or are we about to see a lot of deaths coming up?

Any show that is 7 seasons deep is going to have some incredible advantages like being able to jump right into the action since we’ve already had whole seasons of development for the characters. This show is no exception. For example we have Star vs Shigaraki in the very first episode which is really quite the way to start things off. Now the fight is a on the controversial side since we all know that Star should have won this match rather easily. Her moveset is one of the few on the planet that is a terrible match for him. Shigaraki is top 3 in the verse at this point in time and yet Star is still stronger. It still feels like her part of the story is a bit rushed but this season will be tough for power level viewers.

Shigaraki is already said to be All Might level even without his powers. So that should mean he turns everyone into a red mist instantly during the battle with the exception of Deku and possibly Bakugo depending on his full speed. Instead various heroes are able to hang out during the fight. I don’t buy it but hey that’s how it goes. At the end of the day power levels are not something that will drag a series down no matter how much I might disagree with an outcome. I’m here for the pure hype and epic storytelling either way.

Also as you can expect the animation is still great here. The fights get a very large budget and all of the characters are at the pinnacle of their power so things get really explosive. The series doesn’t take any breaks here and every fight is given a good amount of respect. The spectacle won’t disappoint. Meanwhile the soundtrack is good as always. The openings may not be the greatest but they are still a step up from some of the earlier ones. The series has a pretty rich amount of tunes to choose from during the battles as well after 7 seasons of hype. The good variety means that a lot of songs get to shine.

Naturally the season ends off on a pretty big cliffhanger for the next/final season. You will be at the edge of your seat waiting for the next set of adventures after this season ends. A good cliffhanger goes a long way and it’s just another example of how you should handle a season. Never end on a closed note when you can leave some plot threads open. I mean that was pretty much inevitable here but still a good rule of thumb.

In terms of characters, Star is the biggest new character to jump in here. She’s a lot of fun and has way more backbone than the average character. She is actively defying orders to get out here and fight the enemies. Also props to the rest of her unit who go in with her in order to contribute and fight. They are especially at a huge risk here since they don’t have any kind of super powers to fall back on. Star even gets a brief origin story and background to explain how strong she is. I love the concept behind the power as well since it is strong while also being unique. It really shows you just how powerful a quirk can be in the right hands. This was also just a super good spectacle to start the season with.

All for One is really the opponent here even though it’s Shigaraki’s body. The latter will still make his presence known later on but for now this was All For One’s show. He still makes for a good mastermind villain even if you can see how he is quickly losing control of the situation here. All Might also really knows how to push the guy’s buttons and get him to make big mistakes. As a result he makes several errors in this series but hey that’s just how good All Might is. The villain may lose a lot of hype here but he is still one of the strongest villains out there and a true threat to have to account for. I’d also argue he should have easily been wiping out the various heroes if things were going as they should.

As for Shigaraki, he is a lot of fun as always. At this point the guy just really wants destruction and will do whatever he has to in order to accomplish this. The whole thing is super personal to him at this point as well so he goes out of his way to make the whole thing as traumatic for Deku as possible. It’s always good when the main villain and hero absolutely hate each other like this. Although Deku exits his rage modes rather quickly and does his best to still try and reason with Shigaraki. It’s to a dangerous extent to be sure but that’s how he intends to be a hero.

Now during the big battles we’re taken to several different battlefields thanks to the heroes’ plan of dividing the villains up. So I’ll mainly go into the characters based on what battlefield they’re at although I’ll jump around a bit as it goes on. First up we have the girls battle as Tsuyu and Uravity go up against Toga. Deku is also there briefly and lets himself get jumped quite a bit. Lets be honest here Deku should have immediately beaten Toga in an instant before she could even make too many clones and that would be it for her. He would have made the rest of the arc way easier but instead he sandbags and then runs off. It wasn’t his best moment but it’s how it goes.

Generally speaking Deku is still a solid main character. I like his mindset and he’s a good kid trying to do the right thing. At times I would like to see a bit more imitative out of him and maybe some longer rage modes though. With his abilities it seems like there is just so much that he could really do to establish world peace. So what I would say is…get to work on that! We do get to see his tactical mind at work during the end season battle with Shigaraki though since he can’t let the guy touch him or the ground. In either event the situation would get disastrous and so he has to use his abilities creatively. That’s a really fun battle.

As for Tsuyu, she’s not bad but heavily outgunned in this fight. There simply isn’t a whole lot that she can do in this battle. Toga is much too powerful for her so at best Tsuyu can try to beat a few clones and buy some time. Uravity’s also out of her depth to be sure but at least the gravity gives her some more options. I wouldn’t say she looks all that good though because of how easily she finds herself buying into Toga’s sob story. Look, Toga’s gone through some tough stuff but that really isn’t enough to justify any of this. The more Toga talks about her tough life, the more you’re rooting for the heroes to just take her out already.

Everybody has a sob story and everyone’s gone through tough times. It doesn’t mean you can suddenly just be murdering everyone in your way. That’s not how this works…that’s not how any of this works. So Toga missed me with all of that but as a fighter she does well. In fact she should have easily won this match and I didn’t buy how long the heroes lasted against her. That’s just not happening no matter how you slice it. Toga has a good amount of speed to keep up with Deku and was making millions of clones. Those would overwhelm the heroes with sheer numbers even if you ignore how good the stats are.

In another battlefield we had the big Dabi family drama. Dabi continues to be the best villain in the series as he really puts Todoroki and the others in a tough spot. You have to remember that his body is literally not set up to be a proper match for the fire ability and yet he pulls through it with sheer will power. His body is a large collection of numerous burns everywhere and it doesn’t stop him from pressing on. The guy is absolutely deranged and a total psycho but that’s what makes him a solid villain. You really don’t see Todoroki, Endeavor, or any of the others being able to take him down. The guy is just too powerful and skilled at this point.

Todoroki is trying hard though and even uses some new techniques. At this point he has also been training for a very long time and his movements have become more precise. I still would pick him to lose quickly though and you can see that’s a theme of the final arc in general. The villains all got crazy power ups and abilities to the point where they were made to perhaps be a little too broken. There’s just nothing the heroes should really be able to do in order to even make this an even fight. The author should have maybe given them some more powerful quirk evolutions or something.

For a while there Endeavor is on a different battlefield but he eventually joins in. Endeavor is one of those characters working on his big redemption arc. To me he ultimately went too far back in the day so I don’t see him as anything other than a villain but of course it’s better to be working to improve himself now than to not be doing anything. He also has constant reminders of how everything went wrong with how Dabi is always showing up to cause more damage. Dabi is one of those really persistent villains who appears around every corner.

Then of course we have All for One taking on All Might. I was always a big All Might doubter after he lost his powers so it’s really impressive that he is still fighting on such a high level. To an extent it might be a little cheesy but you know at the end of the day it is fitting for his brand. He was always the beacon of hope and being a little cheesy goes along with that. At the same time, now that he is no longer the symbol he is free to be a little more unhinged and really get into the fight. Trust me when I say you haven’t seen All Might quite like this before. It’s a nice change of pace.

Finally you’ve got the main battlefield with Shigaraki taking on all challengers. The guy goes on a crazy run here as he just keeps getting back up. Nejire is powerful with her energy blasts but for the most part all they do is slow him down. I give her a lot of credit for getting in there and risking her life against an opponent who is really out of her depth. Likewise Tamaki gets past his fears and also uses his true powers here. Ultimately they may not have done much against Shigaraki but it showed how everybody was really going plus ultra in this fight. They were not going to just roll over.

Mirio even gets some action. His power is still broken in that he can’t be hit but he’s also not strong enough to damage Shigaraki which means that the guy basically just ignores him the whole time. That’s a rather embarrassing place for Mirio to be in but it’s just a rough matchup. Mirio’s desperate measure to distract Shigaraki really ends up being the only cringe part of the season. I think there were definitely some better options to go with that would have been a whole lot better.

Mirko is never one to miss a big fight so you can bet that she was here as well. Her close quarter skills are still legendary and she gets some good bows in. At this point she has mainly been power creeped out of the action but she still keeps on fighting to the end. She shows the true power of being an S rank hero. Certainly more than Edgeshot who is mainly useful in a support role but doesn’t do much when it comes to fighting. I suppose he’s not the strongest physically to start with so I can cut him some slack. The guy never did much before o at least this way the guy got some proper screentime.

Monoma was a secret MVP here as well. The guy helping to seal off Shigaraki’s powers for most of the season. If he wasn’t here then the deck would really be stacked against the heroes and they’d have been dusted. The guy always talks a lot and can be annoying if you look at it the wrong way but I rather appreciated his gusto. He’s the kind of guy who backs up his tough talk which is the important thing.

Aizawa is also doing well to stay in the fight considering his injuries. By this point most people would have folded but he will keep on fighting to the end. He’s definitely a worthy teacher to the characters. Even his pal Present Mic gets some good moments here even if he was too slow to stop Kurogiri from making his big comeback. I was glad to see Kurogiri doing something since he was on the sideline for so long. The heroes were lucky on that since his teleportation would be a real big problem otherwise.

We also got some backup as Lady Nagant showed up later on. Her sniper skills are still top tier and the blasts that she fired can actually hurt Shigaraki which is real impressive. Nagant already came in clutch for just surviving the bomb from last season so to see her back in action already is really something else. She’s not the only old character to make a big appearance as Gentle and La Brava show up as well. La Brava’s hacking abilities come in real handy to break up the enemy’s coordination and then Gentle buys a lot of time for the heroes by physically lifting the battlefield.

It really keeps up the theme of teamwork as everyone has a role to play. If any individual hero was gone then they would all be in trouble. Even someone like Hawks who is super injured at this point manages to get in there and help out. That guy is about as determined as Mirko with how hard he keeps fighting even when things are at their bleakest. He really needs a good vacation once this series is over.

I should also mention we have the Spinner plot where he and his cronies are heading over to a hospital to mess things up. The various characters all mention how this is really going to hurt the case of people with mutated quirks who already have a hard time. Unfortunately Spinner is already virtually mindless after All For One gave him a powerful quirk. As a result Spinner looks pretty terrible here. I suppose there wasn’t much that he could have done here either way when All for One was the guy messing him up but it’s still sad for his fans who were waiting for this fight.

Shoji gets a bit role thanks to this though. He steps in to stop Spinner and since he has had one of the smallest roles among the students, that was nice to see. I’m not a big fan of Shoji myself but having more scenes like this certainly can’t hurt. Some characters like Ida and Kirishima don’t get quite as much to do this time. They each have supporting roles though so their presence is still felt. Jiro and Mina get more offensive roles here as they actually deal some damage when they get into the fight. Likewise Tokoyami gets some hype as his shadow ability is still one of the stronger ones. All for One deciding not to take it was definitely a big mistake.

Aoyama is a character that I didn’t end up liking here. He just made too many mistake and while I understand that the circumstances were difficult he could have done better. Being a hero means being able to find a way through that circumstance and not doing anything is actively helping the villains. Hagakure did well in her brief role although I would have liked some more action for her. She has basically missed out on the whole series thanks to her quirk which is a shame.

Shinso gets a good role here as his mind control power comes n handy. It really is a great power and has a lot of utility in a big battlefield like this. Gigantomachia would be particularly susceptible since he’s not the smartest guy around. The villain does look strong as always though and is definitely a true powerhouse. Not someone that you should underestimate even if he is on the slower side.

Finally we have Bakugo who really steals the show here. He has what I’d call a basic quirk but he has kept on honing and improving it until he’s actually to the point where he is keeping up with Deku. It really is a big achievement and Bakugo should feel really proud of himself. He fights hard and very strategically, his action scenes tend to have the most intense animation as well. Bakugo has really come a long way and gotten tons of development over the years. True star treatment that is absolutely deserved.

There was definitely a lot going on here and even more characters that I didn’t mention were involved. The war arc will continue into the next season so I look forward to all of the great animation. If you haven’t seen this season yet then you should definitely change that. It’s intense and fast paced which is always an absolutely dominant combo. The battles are all very interesting and this is the big payoff that the franchise has been building up to so there was no way it would end up being bad.

Overall, My Hero Academia shines once again. It’s definitely going to blow you away once you watch it. Bakugo and Deku both fighting at their peak is definitely something that fans have looked forward to ever since the opening season. Gone are the days when they would be fighting each other (Which was Bakugo’s fault anyway) and now is the time to put aside all differences. The animation has been consistently great so I don’t really have any worries for the next season.

Overall 9/10

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

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