The Night Before Review

Posted on May 27, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a comedy title that gets a little serious so you can almost think about it like a dark comedy at times. It’s got some Twilight Zone vibes to it as well and it makes for an intriguing start. The problem is that as the mystery gets unraveled, the film gets weaker and weaker. So by the end I’m afraid that this film definitely gets the thumbs down. I like the concept but would have definitely approached it differently.

The movie starts off with a drunk Winston wandering around through the night. How did he gets here and what is going on? His memory is all in a daze. He quickly realizes 3 things. 1. He was on the way to prom with a girl named Tara but she’s missing so he needs to find her. 2. A gangster named Tito wants to beat him up for some reason so he needs to stay low. 3. His dad’s car has been hijacked and he needs it back. It’s hard to say how all of this could have happened to him but Winston better move fast because he needs to get Tara back home before her father notices.

Here’s the thing with memory loss cases like this, in most situations it means that the guy was drinking which is what caused this lapse in memory. Well, unfortunately that is exactly what happened here. Winston decided to have a drink at a super seedy place which wasn’t smart and the drink was spiked with drugs so he was out for a while. He makes tons and tons of mistakes throughout the film. He’s just not very smart at all and is like one of those characters out of dumb and dumber.

At first when we’re introduced to Tara you feel like she’s being way too mean to Winston. It’s uncalled for how much she is berating him and everything but by the end of the film you get it. This guy is in way over his head and has no idea what to do. Everyone keeps on suckering him over and over too. The way Winston loses the car was particularly bad but same for how he let Tara’s card and wallet get stolen. Basically if there was a way to mess up then he would. It’s a comedy film so you are expecting him to mess up a lot but it tends to be less in a charismatic way and more in an annoying status. You’re not rooting for him quite as much as you’re supposed to.

The guy even lets himself get dragged into a quick affair with another lady who was hanging around which doesn’t speak well to Winston’s loyalty. I don’t feel like he’s a very responsible individual and if anything he is just getting everyone into trouble the whole time. Definitely a thumbs down for that guy all the way. Tara was way more fun. Yes, she can be mean but she is a lot tougher and gets things done. She gives attitude to all of the characters without any remorse.

Winston tries to make a speech about how Tara is spoiled at the end but I’d argue that she is fairly down to Earth. She certainly has more street smarts than he had. Ultimately, the trouble she got into was basically unavoidable compared to Winston’s situations where he was the one making the mistakes. If anything she did well to keep her composure and everything considering what was happening. Her plot of being sold off from person to person was a bit dark for the film though. Using that kind of a plot point for tension as to why Winston needs to save her quickly is always a bit much.

It’s also the film’s excuse to have a lot of fanservice squeezed in at one point. The film could have taken the high road but opted not to. The shame is that there are a lot of scenes in the film that are actually really funny. Scenes that will have you grin a little and the over the top nature of the moments can work really well. Like when a crazy guy shows up and reaches into Winston’s pocket to steal his wallet. I loved how direct the guy was. He just wanted the wallet and wasn’t hesitating about it. The rough neighborhood was just as rough as it looked. The fact that there wasn’t a twist was almost the twist in itself. No moment where it turns out everyone’s just super nice and everything. Nah, this was just the heroes making a bunch of wrong turns.

The ending is definitely not satisfying though. It goes in the direction I would have preferred that it avoided because it doesn’t really make sense in this context. After everything that went on, only the opposite answer would have made any sense. At least if you ask me, that’s how I see it. It also deprives us of a funny ending where the father chases Winston around or something like that.

So in the end I generally enjoyed the scenes with Tara bashing Winston and Winston running around getting into trouble. I didn’t really care for where Tara’s plot went from there and of course the whole climax is more of a thumbs down. So this was a bit of a mixed bag but my main thing is, would I watch this by myself or recommend it to anybody? The answer to both questions is no so that’s the end of that.

Overall, The Night Before is an interesting film and one that has a lot of good humor thrown into the mix. It can definitely bring on some good laughs but at times it can also just be really annoying. I thought Winston got off way too easily considering how many mistakes he made. If you ask me, he should have lost in the end and there’s no way Tara should like the guy. You don’t have to go with the cheesy Hollywood ending when you’re a comedy film. It would have been so much funnier if she basically told him to get lost at that point. I don’t even think it would be mean spirited, it would just make sense if anything considering everything that just happened.

Overall 4/10

The Lost Boys Review

Posted on May 27, 2024 by dreager1

This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

It’s time for some vampires. You already know that means the film is starting off at a disadvantage but maybe it can pull through and win anyway? Wellllll…unfortunately that is not the case so I still do have to give this one a thumbs down. The characters tend to be annoying and the film can drag on at some points. The main romance with the teens also doesn’t work so well.

The film starts with Michael, his younger brother Sam, and his mom Lucy moving from a nice place over to the murder capital of the world. They’re staying with Lucy’s father and at this point the goal is really to try and make the best of it. Sam is one of those guys who is very personable and he acclimates to the new place quickly even if it is odd how two kids keep telling him to watch out for vampires. Michael sees an attractive lady who is already taken but since when has that stopped him? He flirts with her which causes the leader of the vampire group, David to show up and mess with him. Michael succumbs to peer pressure immediately and gets turned into a vampire. Can he control his urges and stay on the path of justice?

There’s a lot to unpack here and unfortunately most of it is not good. As the lead character Michael makes too many mistakes. It’s not really good form to go after someone who is already in a relationship. Yeah it’s not the same as someone being married or engaged but at the same time it makes you look desperate. It was clear that Star was leading him on from the jump so the only right answer there is to just dodge the situation entirely. She manipulates him so easily that you’re just shaking your head. Their romance really was bad.

Meanwhile Michael was falling for the illusions each time and then not suspecting that something was wrong about the vampires was a real miss for him as well. He does control the urges well at least and I can tell you right now that I have no issues with taking out any of the villains. As far as I’m concerned that is full self defense and everyone was trying to murder the vampires in order to save the town so there’s no functional difference here. Something to keep in mind since the end of the film is trying to throw a message in and it doesn’t really work.

I liked Sam a lot more than Michael. He’s a likable kid who has a positive outlook. Again, if not for the vampires he was going to get used to the new town real fast. He had a good sense of humor and is also responsible. This is the kind of kid you can count on to make your life easier. He gets a big role along with the two vampire hunters but technically it’s not like he can fight all that much so I wouldn’t expect him to do a lot of damage. The villains are just too powerful.

As for Lucy, she’s definitely a sympathetic character. She’s also been through a lot with the divorce and all. It may be a little fast to get back into the dating game but at least it’s treated like an actual dynamic among adults. It starts off with a basic dinner and nothing crazy. Usually I’d say the romance subplot had no point being in the film but this time I suppose it justified its own existence. It’s still a bit on the weak side but as a character Lucy was solid.

Then you have Max whose role is pretty fun. He is the character you will be thinking about a lot here and some scenes you can see in a different light. So he makes for a fairly solid character, certainly better than the vampire gang led by David who mostly just look like creeps the whole time. They’re not intimidating in a fun way and if anything they’re so overconfident and sloppy that this is what leads to them getting cooked all the time. As long as they remembered basic fighting techniques then they would have been okay here. The problem is they don’t have much of a goal except for spreading chaos.

I would have liked to have seen perspectives from more of the outside world. Not someone about to die but maybe a few locals talking about how people are always getting kidnapped and being murdered which seems weird. The film does establish this place as the biggest murder area in the world but doesn’t follow that up with anything. I’m sure the mayor and the cops would have something to say about that right? Adding them in with a big role would have been really fun.

Just something to give us more time away from the vampires. You already know that nobody can put up a fight against them so the nameless characters are doomed. The film doesn’t keep your attention the way that it should. It throws in quite a few jump scares involving the dogs. It’s a dangerous game since that could have easily tanked the whole movie but fortunately it avoids getting hit with the solid 0-1. The dogs end up looking fairly tough the whole time and Sam’s dog really saves the day more than once. So I appreciate that. Having a dog on screen always speeds up my heart rate a little bit but when you have a happy ending like this then that definitely helps out a whole lot.

Overall, The Lost Boys is a film that had some potential but it doesn’t live up to this in the execution. The comedic elements could have helped to raise everything up but at the end of the day it still focuses more on the vampire stuff than anything else. The characters created too many issues on their own and so in the end what you have here is a film that doesn’t give you much of an incentive to watch it. At least I did like the grandfather. His role was small but the confidence was nice. If the film had doubled down on more of the humor this could have really been a different ballgame.

Overall 3/10

The Great Mouse Detective Review

Posted on May 27, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a fun little Sherlock Holmes homage. This is definitely a film that I was unaware of before actually seeing it but it is rather fun. The animation itself is sharp and the pacing is good. Even more so than the plot, I enjoyed this film because the animation and characters are pleasant. It feels like a very old school animated film with a charismatic villain and a solid hero. It’s not really trying to subvert your expectations or make for a lot of grand plot twists. Instead it’s really all about just delivering a fun experience.

The movie starts off with Olivia’s father getting attacked by something right out of a Gremlins film. He is soundly defeated although he does put up a fight. My main problem with this is that we see more of Fidget later on and the guy isn’t all that tough. He should not be putting up this level of a fight. How did the father lose here? It’s a really bad look for the guy, I’ve gotta be honest about that. Losing to the comic relief sidekick in a fist fight is the quickest way to lose absolutely all of your hype. There is no way back from such a moment. Still, Olivia finds Dawson and they convince the world famous detective Basil to help out. The 3 of them are now ready to dish out the pain but do they have what it takes?

Even though Basil is the genius detective here, I would argue that Ratigan tends to look like the most intelligent character in the film. He is always a few steps ahead of everyone else and his plan was actually really good. If not for Basil pulling off a plot armor infused miracle comeback, Ratigan really had this in the bag. His genius inventions are really impossible to match and then you have to factor in that the guy can fight as well. He was crushing Basil while they were fighting in the climax. This is the kind of villain who leaves a very strong impression in the film. He really made the most out of all his scenes.

His sidekick Fidget wasn’t bad either. His best scene was definitely in the opening though as he never quite looks as fierce as that again. The design is on point and he can fight so those are the two biggest steps needed to being a cool villain. Ultimately his lack of intelligence is what hurts him here since he can’t even see an obvious betrayal approaching him at warp speeds. I don’t think he could have won in a fight anyway but at least he may have had a chance right?

As for the heroes, well Basil is solid as you would expect. I wouldn’t call him ultra heroic as he nearly didn’t help Olivia out until it really concerned him as well. Once he is on the case though, Basil is a fairly loyal ally to have around. He gives up a little too quickly at one point but otherwise didn’t really make any mistakes. His sidekick Dawson was good too. He filled in the Watson role rather well. He always has a lot of enthusiasm even if he can’t quite match up to Basil in the brains department. They don’t need two super sleuths anyway, just one will be enough. Dawson helps to keep Basil grounded and is also a moral compass I would say.

Meanwhile Olivia is mostly here to push the plot along but she’s not bad. If not for her being brave enough to seek out some help then Ratigan would have definitely won. So she gets some props there. A character who does not get any props is the Queen because she didn’t really do anything here. She was allowing her country to be mowed over without putting up any kind of a fight. Definitely not a very smart move at all. I get that she was surprised by the robot but that’s not much of an excuse.

Like I mentioned earlier, the animation is really solid here. Everything is super smooth and fast paced. There is always a lot of action going on here. You can tell that a good amount of budget was put into the film. I can’t recall any tunes in particular so I suppose I can’t say the same about the soundtrack. It’s not bad I suppose but yeah it’s not what you’re going to be talking about. At the end of the day the focus will be more about the story and the film is able to hold that part up well enough.

Although while this may sound more like a back handed complement, it’s not the story in particular that really makes the film work so much as the fun atmosphere and quick animation. It’s a film that feels nostalgic even when it is the first time you are watching it. That’s where the film does well here. I feel like you will probably forget many details of the film very quickly but you won’t forget the adventure as a whole. In part I’d say it’s because there’s not a whole lot of mystery to the film. Yes, they have to track down Ratigan and figure out what he is plotting but at the same time we already know the villain and as the viewer we see what he’s doing so it’s not a super big surprise.

Overall, The Great Mouse Detective is a pleasant film. I had a good time with it. It may not go down in history as being one of the all time greats but it was good enough for me. It’s got a good blend of humor and excitement and you should be entertained all the way through. If you haven’t even heard of this film like me, then you should check it out because it’s a bit like a hidden gem. I could safely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun film to check out. It’s very short so it’s not like it’s a bit time commitment either. There’s no reason not to check it out!

Overall 7/10

Jewel Robbery Review

Posted on May 27, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for an old school heist film that really goes by quickly. It’s a film that lands the humor over rather well and will keep you entertained all the way through. The main character may be no good since she is a cheat through and through but the main thief here makes for an interesting villain. He’s definitely not someone that you want to underestimate or it will be all over. The surreal nature of the whole thing really does wonders for the story.

The movie starts by introducing us to Teri who is super bored and one of those characters who figures that the grass is always greener. She wants some excitement in her life and to break away from how monotone things usually are for her. Her husband is rich but he got his money the legal way. So she has various affairs and flirts a lot with her husband’s younger associate. This is already pretty bad but what gets worse is when the shop is hijacked by a bunch of thieves. The main thief wins her heart over rather quickly. He’s not just any thief though, he likes to rob places while being a gentleman the whole time. So he makes sure that nobody is harmed and even makes some jokes along the way.

He invites Teri to go along with him and for a while there she is a bit skeptical of this but then she figures it might be a good idea. It won’t be easy though as the cops are hot on the trail. Will she decide to go with the thief or ultimately stand up for what’s right and help get the stolen merchandise back? Only time will tell, this is definitely not an easy decision for her at least.

So like I said the film is mainly played for laughs so you aren’t to take these things too seriously. That said, it is the best case scenario if you are the one being robbed. The villains aren’t hurting anyone and you are fully insured so it’s not like you won’t get anything back. Your business won’t be the same ever again though. The thief uses laughing cigarettes to knock people out and he has a flair for the dramatic. His backup plans have backup plans so it is hard to get one over on him. You figure this guy is almost definitely going to win in the end because nobody seems to be on his level. He’s just too quick witted.

You can’t feel quite as bad for the victims of the robberies as you could either since they’re not the best characters either way. For the younger associate, he is going after a married woman so that’s a massive no no right out of the gate. Then for the husband, he’s really letting himself be made a fool out of by his wife the whole time. I liked the well meaning police officer though. He was talking tough throughout the film about how smart and capable he was. I definitely appreciated that. It may not have turned out all that well for him but the confidence was still good. It’s always better to be confident and fail than to not have had the confidence in the first place.

These are also humor scenes that just worked really well within the film’s context. I’m not saying that it’ll be laugh out loud funny but the scenes and writing in the film are consistently clever. We even get quite a few fake outs that are written really well. You’re always left guessing as to what is going to happen next. It’s really impressive just how much influence the thief has and apparently he has dozens of identities to fall back on as well. That is the hallmark of a true pro.

The main cast is fairly small but this is the kind of film that doesn’t need a whole lot of characters. You really just need the thief to punk everyone, the heroine to fall for him, and then the peanut gallery wondering what is going to happen next. The rest of the film is just executed really well with the fun writing and really fast pacing. There is always something going on and it certainly never drags. At most you may just wish it could go on a bit longer with the thief messing with everyone but the length works well. Sometimes you don’t need a film to carry on for very long.

By default the weakest part of the film here is the romance. After all it’s not like you can root for the heroine to get together with the main villain right? That would be a really bad idea. The ending is a bit happier than you might think but we’ll see if it all works out. Either way I doubt this will be getting a sequel any time soon. It just doesn’t seem like the type of film that would since it’s really a standalone story all the way through.

Overall, Jewel Robbery is a pretty fun film and I dare say it’s better than I would have expected. The opening robbery scene really set the tone right from the start with how easily the thieves broke in and took control. I always like it when villains have an honor code to fall back on as well. Naturally it doesn’t make him any less of a villain or anything like that but at least it does make it so that you don’t mind when he is dominating. The guy wanted his money and figured out the most efficient way to do it with minimal effort. You have to give this guy some props in creativity for pulling all of this off like that. If this sounds like a fun time to you then I recommend checking it out right away. You don’t want to wait and then forget all about this title after all. You can also see what you think of the burglary attempt in general. Should it have worked? (I’d say yeah. It seemed to be well thought out)

Overall 7/10

Heartbreak Ridge Review

Posted on May 16, 2024 by dreager1

This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

It’s time for a classic war film that’s pretty fun. You always like to see the gruff commander show up to get the younger men into shape. He really turns the Z squad into the A squad in a fairly short time. We still get the serious war scenes to be sure but a lot of the film is really spent on the build up to the war so we see how the training goes.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Tom who has served a lot of time in the army and now life is rather boring for him. He gets himself placed into prison a lot for rather mundane reasons. Well, now he has been transferred to what is easily considered the worst division as a punishment. Well, nobody is going to mess with Tom. His toughness does get the team to respect him fairly quick though. Do they finally have a chance at greatness?

You see a lot of war films where the army platoon leaders are super cruel or just corrupt which can be annoying so it’s nice to see a leader who is tough but knows how to balance things out. He’s always in charge and can take care of himself without actually being mean about it. For example he gets his revenge on Stitch who stole his money early on but then from there on it’s all even. He’s not going to be vindictive about it or anything like that. Then when the squad calls in their big hitter Swede, Tom just shows him what’s up and keeps on moving. There’s no time for grudges in the army, he’s just trying to have a winning squad.

He set the tone immediately in the first scene when he beat someone up in prison and never goes back from there. Tom is easily the standout character in the film and all of his scenes are great. I also liked the main villain Malcolm. He could perhaps be a bit over the top but he works well as the foil. He’s corrupt and everything that Tom is not. This is the guy that you absolutely do not want to be your squad leader because he’s going to lead you into every kind of disaster possible. The guy absolutely puts his petty rivalries above the actual mission and he will do that every time. It’s certainly not very becoming for an officer, especially such a high ranking one. He had a bone to pick with Tom right from the start.

It gets worse when you find out that he actively sabotages the main squad so they can always lose to his squad. He sees his group as being the best and so the others don’t matter which is not effective in the slightest. The character who really steps up when it counts is Lt. Ring. At first he is way too inexperienced and reads everything out of textbooks. The guy doesn’t know what to do in a real fight at all. So this is his chance to really step out of his shell. I’d say that he makes the most out of the opportunity. He was annoying at first but was a good character by the end.

As for Stitch and the other soldiers, I wouldn’t say that I ever ended up liking any of them much. Yes, they assembled under Tom’s leadership but it feels like they are all easily swayed. If someone other than Tom had shown up then they would all still be delinquents. Of course their character redemption arc is the whole point of the movie but I just wasn’t as convinced as I could have been. Their scenes still tend to bring a lot of humor though so it’s not like that’s something that would bring the film down. I particularly liked it when Tom would troll them with the different shirts the whole time.

The only plot that wasn’t particularly good involved Tom’s ex wife Aggie. This is the romance subplot where they are trying to get back together but there’s just way too much baggage here. It feels completely unrealistic and at no point do you really believe that they even like each other. It comes across more like they’re both just lonely and desperate which isn’t a great reason to get back together. The romance isn’t a big focus in the movie but it’s still big enough to be mentioned. It’s easily the weakest part of the film.

Of course when you just have one general weak point then you are in a good position. The movie as a whole has really good pacing the whole time. There’s a good amount of action in the climax as well. I would say that the film is at its best in the first half with Tom showing everyone up with a lot of clever dialogue. He’s not exactly a big talker but always knows how to pick the perfect moments to deliver some killer lines. He really keeps the characters on notice there. The writing is really solid here and granted this is the edited version so the script might be a little more intense otherwise but in this version it was good.

Overall, Heartbreak Ridge is a pretty good movie. It is a war movie but most of the film is about the training so it almost feels like as slightly different genre. Maybe army training if that’s a real sub genre. Either way it’s a satisfying watch that feels like there was a lot of effort put into creating this one. It’s a well crafted experience. If you like a solid army film that has a good sense of humor then you should check this one out for sure. Whether you view it as an inspirational title or just a funny one, there are lot of lessons and morals to take away from this. Always bring your best and it’s never too late to improve yourself.

Overall 7/10

Fever Pitch Review

Posted on May 14, 2024 by dreager1

All right it’s time for one of those classic rom-com films. It’s definitely got a retro feel to it because at this point the early 200s are actually rather old. It feels rough saying that but it is what it is. The film has some fun moments, there’s always a lot going on here and I do like that it keeps up the energy well. As always with these films, it’s at its best when the film is focusing on the humor rather than the romance. Still the film does keep the main characters more in check than other titles so it’s not like they ever hate each other which is good. That’s usually what makes the romance more on the unrealistic side.

The film starts off by introducing Ben as a super big Red Sox fan. He has really built his entire life around them. Well, one day when he is leading a school tour as the teacher, he meets a lady named Lindsey who is really smart and good with numbers. The kids tease Ben about her and so he decides to actually make a move and asks her out. This basically flies in the face of most titles like this so I have to give him some serious props here. The guy actually has a lot of guts. The two of them start going out but there is one big problem here. They both have very different priorities. Ben still wants to follow the Red Sox across the country and never miss a game while Lindsey is trying hard for a promotion so the two don’t have much time for each other. Can this really work?

Lets start off with the film’s stronger aspects here which are the characters. Both Ben and Lindsey have fairly successful lives going on right now. Neither one of them are creeps or just hopeless in life. They actually feel like real people who have made choices and everything. Lindsey has more corporate success but can be rather lonely. She does have some friends but it’s clear that Ben has the better support network. He may not be doing as well but he still has enough money to go to training camp with his friends and they’re always having a blast. So the romance is adding something extra for both of them but it’s not like their lives revolve around this.

It also makes the drama a bit more realistic since neither person wants to sacrifice parts of their life too easily. So Lindsey brings her laptop to the games and Ben picks the games over dates. Now I would put more of the burden on Ben here though. Lindsey is fighting for an active promotion right now so of course she has to give it her best effort. I absolutely get why she needs to be putting in overtime and everything. For Ben, hey I get that he likes Baseball a lot but he does need to make some concessions here. Baseball has over 100 games, if he’s going to watch them all then he’s not going to be available for her much at all.

He can barely go a day without the games. At one point he decides to skip one to make her feel better so they have a good date and everything but despite saying what a great day it was, he completely flips on this when his friends let him know that he missed the best game ever. He pretty much guilt trips Lindsey at this point when it’s not like it was her fault or anything like that. In this film naturally both characters will be at fault a lot of the time but I would say it was usually Ben’s fault in the end.

Ben’s friends are also solid in general. They actually do give good advice from time to time and their scenes can be funny. At one point for example Ben has them all dancing as a way to compete for who gets to see which game now that he has the season tickets. It gets rather competitive and it’s nice for a change to see the guys hanging out without the topic quickly being about which girl they like or things like that. They’re actually good friends that just have a good time hanging out so that was fun.

Unfortunately the film’s climax doesn’t feel very satisfying on Lindsey’s end. She ends up having to make way more sacrifices and I would have liked a more positive ending there. A lot of times the films like this act as if only one side can win but we could have had a scenario where she gets the promotion, Ben still has the tickets, and they just put in some boundaries/guard rails to keep things from being crazy. That would have been way more reasonable and a better ending. The ending itself could have definitely been worse but it’s just not nearly as good as it could or should have been.

As with any comedy film, I’m not saying that all of the jokes will land but on average you will like more of them than you don’t. The writing is good as well and at least tries to give you some reasons why the two characters would go out. For starters Ben asking her out at the start was a big move since he was more proactive than the average guy. He can still be rather immature at times but since Lindsey is always super serious, you could see her going with him to get back in touch with her inner child. There is actually a lot of time that passes by in the movie as we follow the whole Red Sox season so it also avoids my usual complaints about the romance being really rushed and unrealistic. A lot more care and detail went into this film compared to the usual experience and of course having the sports element in there was also a nice way to add a little boost for me since that’s always fun.

Overall, Fever Pitch is a good movie. It manages to avoid making the drama be too forced and doesn’t go as extreme as other comedy films go. You get the usual formula of the main two getting together, falling apart, and then getting back together but it’s done in a way that actually feels realistic. So by avoiding the usual pitfalls the movie ended up being more effective. The pacing is good and the humor tends to land so I had a good time here. It’s not exactly the kind of movie I would be clamoring to see again or anything like that but if you’re looking for a fairly wholesome romance movie then this is a good one to watch.

Overall 6/10

Delicious in Dungeon Review

Posted on May 12, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a big food based manga that has gotten especially big lately with the show ongoing. Well, it’s definitely got a unique premise but given that it’s all about eating every monster possible, you can probably guess that this is not going to end well for the show. Even fans of cooking will probably have a hard time with this one since it’s not like you can actually copy most of these recipes but the series gets some props for sticking with the concept. Even to the end, cooking is always a primary focus of the series. Still ends up being a miss for me though.

The series starts with Laios and his party going through a dungeon when they are attacked by the legendary Red Dragon. Unfortunately it ends up eating Laios’ sister Falin and escapes. Half of Laios’ party disbands the remaining members are basically bankrupt. Laios doesn’t want to wait and go all the way out of the dungeon so he decides that they will just have to eat every monster they come across. Fortunately they meet up with a guy named Senshi who is an expert at cooking up monsters and he agrees to help. Is this really something Laios is doing out of desperation though or is using Falin as an excuse to eat monsters?

The series is fairly long with 14 volumes so you may wonder how all of that can be about finding Falin. Well, that’s not the whole plot. Things keep on going and you really have 2 main story arcs here. The second half takes a while for sure we the heroes have to learn more about what to do next and then work on their plans. The cast further expands here so there are a good number of characters to keep track of. The series also has a lot of world building which works well for including a bunch of characters into the mix.

As a little background here, the world connects to a massive dungeon that appears to get bigger and bigger every day. There is no upper limit to the dungeon and so people continue to go in and grab some money. You can use remains of animals to sell, different treasure chests, artifacts, etc. If you die in the dungeon then you have to hope that someone goes up to you and casts revive. Your soul is trapped when you are in the dungeon which is why you don’t die right away. On one hand that may sound good but on the other hand that also means it could very well be possible that you are stuck for all eternity. Jut think about that for a minute there, it’s not exactly a spot that you want to be in. It also means that several characters will die multiple times. Just because you can revive doesn’t mean that the pain goes away which is another thing to consider.

Basically what I am getting at is that living in this world feels really dangerous. You can just decide not to go into the dungeon and have a normal job but the series doesn’t go into that too much so it’s hard to say just how feasible that is. For all we know there are barely any jobs available so you would have to venture into the unknown anyway. Then you have the Elves who tend to be rather selfish and dangerous. They do not have your best interests at heart so you need to keep that in mind all the way and of course if you run into the mad mage then you may be put to sleep forever. Fighting between adventurers is completely forbidden but since when has that ever stopped anybody right? So you better keep your guard up at all times.

The art is pretty solid here. That doesn’t always work in the game’s favor but there is a lot of detail here at all times. The characters are easy to spot and while the series doesn’t have a ton of fight scenes, the action scenes that we get look pretty good. At most, some of the climax moments can be a little too cluttered with everyone running around but on the whole I would still say that things look good. The art is not a problem I have with the title.

So lets talk about the big issue right out of the gate which is naturally the animal violence. Yes a lot of these are fantasy creatures but we’re still watching the heroes slice and dice them to add onto a meal. This tends to be rather gross a lot of the time. A lot of these creatures also end up looking like real animals. It gets more and more twisted as some of the creatures get close to being humanoid. I thought that Marcille had a good point about at least drawing the line at humanoids but why would Laios listen to that? These are desperate times so it makes sense to do what you have to do but by the end everyone are eating various monsters.

So all of this eating is a big blow and that’s a main focus of the entire series so you’re not really going to be coming back from that. I usually like a lot of good food titles like Superman Meshi but this is one that I just couldn’t get behind. You would need to change the entire premise of the series to make this work or put them in a virtual world where these are just programs or something. By the end of the series it gets even more and more twisted about what’s being eaten. The whole climax is easily one of the most disturbing ones that I’ve read in a manga.

It’s not just about being eaten alive but how graphic and painful the whole thing is. The series is never afraid to be on the higher end of the violence side since characters can be brought to life. This is shown early on by the manor in which people die. They get stabbed or shot through the head and while they are revived later on, you feel like it’s a bit much. So just keep that in mind, this is a series that tends to be on the more extreme side in each aspect of the title.

Take away all of the animals and I would still have some problems there but yeah that’s got to be the biggest one here. I was rooting for Marcille and the various characters who didn’t want to eat these monsters to stay strong but ultimately they couldn’t. To an extent you may feel it’s no different from cooking actual animal so what’s the harm right? Well the first part is that cooking those after being hunted would destroy any series for me anyway, the monsters only dampens the blow to an extent but it all just feels wrong.

Part of the problem is how crazy Laios is. The more the series goes on, the crazier we see him become. The guy can barely contain just how twisted he is at different points and that’s really the main issue with him. I don’t like Laios as a character. He really does seem to be using Falin as an excuse half of the time. He’s super interested in trying out every monster, he basically wants to become one. This is mainly played off as a gag of course but he is still like this in the serious moments as well. So he’s not exactly the hero type and his twisted set of morals should have you concerned.

Marcille is easily the most likable member of the main crew. She has a rather intense backstory and really good reasons for wanting to save Falin. She’s the first friend that Marcille had after all. Yes, Falin also has her weird moments to be sure but on the whole she is a lot more normal than Laios. Marcille is always ready to do whatever she has to in order to save the day even if it means putting herself in danger so I can definitely applaud that. You want her on your side without a doubt. She makes a whole lot of sacrifices in order to get to the end and even her overall goal makes a lot of sense. Yes, she comes close to accepting a shortcut which wouldn’t work out so well in order to support her goals and dreams but you get why she would do this. So she’s an interesting character all the way.

Then you have Chillchuck who is a bit more jaded than the other characters and gets jaded a lot. He doesn’t have some grand master plan for the world and talks tough but at the end of the day he is here in the front lines fighting with everyone else to save Falin. So you can definitely give him a lot of credit too all the way through. He is good at avoiding traps and helping the heroes get through the dungeon so he is definitely really handy. Meanwhile Senshi may be the MVP for the group since without him they would have a hard time staying alive at all. While cutting up all of the monsters may not help the series as a whole, it definitely helped the main party conisderably.

Senshi has a ton of experience not just in cooking but surviving in general. He knows a lot of the different players in the dungeon and has formed strategic alliances that allow him to do what he does. Without him the heroes would have been murdered by the trolls, orcs, or other random creatures. Then you have Izutsumi who joins up later and is a solid addition. She has quick speed and can fight rather well thanks to her claws. She is cursed to be part cat which is tough in terms of having to live that way but it really comes in handy for fights which is what the main cast really needs in this situation. So that is definitely impressive and in general I liked her. She’s not going to fall for the usual illusions and traps that the others jump into.

As for Falin herself, I wouldn’t say that I was a big fan. She’s okay and seems like a nice enough person but she does suffer from a lot of the same issues as the main guy. It wasn’t great for Laios and she doesn’t fare any better either. If anything I would say the more she appears, the less normal she acts. I suppose because at that point everyone is a lot more familiar with her but she tends to be at her best when Laios is not around. Her abilities are certainly impressive though.

Then we have Namari and Shuro who I didn’t like because I consider them to be traitors. After Falin was taken out they both ditch the party. Yes, Shuro shows up to help later on but he makes a big fuss about the dark magic used to help Falin and is generally a pain in the neck. He doesn’t make things easier for the main characters at all and by making things tougher that just means that he’s in the way. Not a good look when you need everyone on deck right?? That’s what I thought! Namari is at least more sociable but it doesn’t change the fact that she ran off either. I still can’t forget that and it’s a really big deal. You can’t just run off, there is no coming back from that.

Kabru is easily one of the most interesting characters though. I’m not big on a certain plot twist he got in the end but for the most part he was a strategic figure who helped to add a little intensity to the plot. You never really knew hat he was thinking and he was a really good wild card. He kept all of the characters on their toes which is exactly what you would be expecting from a character like this. Kabru was always one step ahead of the other characters. He may not have had a great ending but I still enjoyed his character a lot and if anything he should have been the real main character.

Meanwhile the mad mage Sissel was a reasonably solid villain. I thought he had some reasonably solid goals and ambitions the whole time. He did start to get more and more unreasonable as the series went on though. I suppose you could say it was maybe because of the influences around him but that’s probably more of an excuse in the long run. This guy just couldn’t handle the power and didn’t think things through in the long run. That’s what really got him in the end. Still, this was a threat that made all of the heroes get up and pay attention which was nice to see. If anything they’re lucky that he didn’t press the attack more.

Then you have the main canary Mithrun who was a fun character. He’s seriously skilled and always goes for the lethal attacks in a fight. He desperately wants to stop Sissel but that’s hard since the whole dungeon obeys the mage. It’s really a one sided revenge tour since he doesn’t have much of a chance of really doing anything here. Still, he goes through a whole lot and is a likable character. The whole thing feels like he got the short end of the stick so you can feel bad for him there.

Finally there is the Winged Lion who is a very interesting character. His goals may not be as intense as Sissel’s but in a way that’s due to his nature. For the mot part he’s doing everything because he can, rather than having more of a specific ambition. He is absolutely able to play the long game though and has been strategizing for a very long time. He does a good job of manipulating characters so I give him a ton of credit there. Not just any character could manage to pull that off. He can also fight well so that’s another plus.

So the character cast here is pretty solid. While I had a lot of issues with the execution, I think the world building is pretty solid. For starters it is interesting to see a world where a dungeon is the primary source of income because of all the rare stuff in there. Death being suspended is definitely pretty cool since otherwise the body count would be massive. You’ve got the Elves and a bunch of kings running around as well to stir up some trouble. I would have liked some more fights between the factions but again this isn’t really an action series first and foremost. It’s more about the platforming and eating. We do get fights but they just aren’t the primary focus.

I still can’t help but think of how much better it would be if not for all of the animal stuff. Just have them eating off the land, lots of berries and things like that. That would have been so much better and would have made me proud. Seriously it would have been a really good idea al the way. Ah well, at the end of the day it is what it is. I can say that I will never forget the series, it really is quite memorable. Also while the humor around Laios doesn’t tend to land, the series does actually have some rather solid gags. I really enjoyed seeing the characters come to terms with how they’re seen by the rest of the party for example when they fight a bunch of shapeshifters. That was funny while also being very interesting. The characters tend to be very expressive and the series is rather light toned so there are lots of opportunities for fun scenes apart from everything being eaten.

Overall, This series definitely lives up to the name. There is a lot of food everywhere and the whole series does involve a dungeon so there is no clickbait here. Everything is as you’d expect it to be from the title except for the fact that none of the food actually looks delicious. The characters do say that it all tastes delicious though which I suppose is the important part even if I am super skeptical. So really if you can get behind all of the monster eating then this should be the story for you. If not, then consider this an experimental series that just can’t hold its own and give it a skip. There are enough good manga out there where you don’t have to force yourself to check this one out. Check out Superman vs Meshi as a good replacement.

Overall 3/10

Gintama Review

Posted on May 6, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time to look at one of the most iconic manga titles of all time. Gintama has long had a reputation for being one of the funniest titles of all time while simultaneously being known for its exceptional cast and storylines. I can safely say after completing the series that it really is an elite title and deserves to be treated as such. It’s really an excellent series and I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. This is a monster to talk about with over 70 volumes but no time like the present right?

The basic plot revolves around Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi as the trio runs a little group that performs errands for people. They will do just about any task whether it be walking a dog or playing matchmaker. They’re in a good town for this because everybody has problems that need solving. Unfortunately Gintoki isn’t always the most efficient at handling these tasks and so he is often behind on the rent and the group has a ton of problems staying out of the red. They have a lot of wacky adventures for the first 500 chapters or so with the occasional action arc and then we transition into the saving the universe kind of stories. Once these come into play then things really end up changing.

One of the most impressive parts of the series is really how seamlessly it changes. The series was so exceptional as a comedy but there isn’t really a disconnect when it goes into the action phase. If anything it’s like the ultimate payoff because you know the characters so well by this point and are eager to see what happens to them. It gives you more reason to root for the characters and hope that they make it out of the situation. It reminds me of Reborn! in a way but to a much higher degree in terms of how long it takes. Don’t get me wrong, there are some action arc fairly early on in the manga as well but it’s only near the end where it makes the complete shift and doesn’t really look back.

Even in the action arcs there is always some comedy to be sure but the stakes stay high and characters can actually die. Gintama certainly wasn’t afraid to change the status quo when needed. The artwork for the series is incredibly good which helps as well since you could always count on really top tier action scenes the whole time in those fighting based arcs. The series can definitely hold its own with just about every title in terms of the artework. Some of the world’s lore is so detailed that I can’t say I always cared about it but it’s clear that the author was definitely passionate about the whole thing. There is a whole lot of lore here without a doubt.

There aren’t all that many series that crossed 70 volumes like this one did which also automatically puts this one at an advantage in terms of how much it could do. There was time to really do a bit of everything because it’s that much longer than the average manga. I would say the title’s reputation as being legendary is definitely deserved. As a comedic manga, naturally not every joke is going to land. It has its rough moments where you’ll be cringing at a joke, in fact that will be lots of them like that. The series still has the sheer length to outnumber those with constant jokes that are actually good. This is a series that definitely throws everything it has at you and is quite bold. I can certainly appreciate that.

There’s a lot of story to get through and a ton of characters so lets start going through them. Prepare for a very long write-up here which goes without saying for a series on this scale. I mostly won’t talk about too many of the comedic chapters/mini arcs in part because there would just be too many of them and also because there are numerous gags that were a blast. You just have to experience them in context, or even without and see how fun they are. As long as you like really creative/zany comedy moments then you’ll have a good time here. Apparently there are around 64 Gintama arcs but I’ll mainly be skipping any that are too short and talking about the biggest ones. I also won’t really be going in order on these in part because I’m not sure of the exact order for some of them and putting them in order would take a little while.

One fun mini arc is when Katsura, AKA the best character in the series infiltrates the Shinsengumi and quickly becomes trusted enough where he turns them against each other. It’s only 4 chapters which is an example of the kind of mini arc that is sort of around for a quick gag and then goes away but manages to be fun. The comedic arcs like this which are mainly just absurd tend to have a lot of great humor. You enjoy seeing Katsura mess with people which he does in most arcs. The fun part is that he’s really awful at it and yet he tends to be successful which is a nice contradiction. Nobody notices how he is stumbling over his words or contradicting his story in many instances. The arc also shows how wearing an afro can really change everyone’s view of you and works a bit like a disguise.

Another example of a really good absurd arc involves the character popularity poll because that is breaking the third wall to a historic degree. Basically some of the characters aren’t too pleased with how they placed so they start attacking and degrading other characters in order to have them drop in the polls. This way one of them can claim the #1 spot. Naturally this causes a battle between the popular and unpopular characters. Also this is Gintama, meaning you can’t trust anybody. People change allegiances and start fighting each other left and right. So if you’re not careful then you will just be the next victim. It’s another really short mini arc but one that really made the most of the concept.

Then we have an arc where Gintoki decides to make a lot of money with an anonymous confessional box. As you can probably guess, a ton of the complaints ended up being about him which wasn’t very fun for the guy and he begin hearing a lot of incriminating things. When this inevitably involves the shogun as well, Gintoki ends up being in a whole lot of trouble. The Shogun and his gags still tend to be some of the weakest parts of the series but I did like the story for this arc. It’s a really fun gag and it was nice see all of the characters show up to share their dark secrets. Gintoki may not have given good advice at any point but hey it’s the thought that counts.

Another quick arc revolves around Shinpachi getting a letter…from a girl! She seems to be opening the door to a long distance relationship but is he reading too much into it? Also, he is famously a big shot in a fanclub for a local celebrity girl so can he betray her like this? Getting into a relationship may not be the right move. He also makes the mistake of asking Gintoki for advice which isn’t always a great move. It’s one of those fun arcs that takes things to an absurd level but is fun because you can definitely picture the stress of answering a letter in the mail like this. You can’t really determine tone or anything from a letter which makes it really easy to overthink things.

Naturally this wouldn’t be a comedic series without at least one love potion arc right? This is another short one but you can imagine all of the gags that come into place when a love potion explodes across the whole town. It’s a fun enough mini arc and a reminder of why that would be such a dangerous ordeal if it were a real thing. Everyone suddenly having to confess their feelings and being put in the spotlight would be rough, especially once the effects wore off and you had to live with the aftermath. Although I’d argue for Gintoki and friends they are embarrassed so often that it shouldn’t be as big a deal compared to others.

Another romance based one involves a dating sim game that has been getting really big. Naturally Shinpachi falls into this game and this causes Gintoki and friends to get involved. Naturally it isn’t recommended to fall for your virtual girlfriend since the whole thing is still a game but for someone like Shinpachi who hasn’t had any luck in the real world it makes sense that this could end up getting tempting. It’s always nice to see Gintoki talk really tough and suddenly get involved as well, it’s part of what makes him a really entertaining main character. He always talks really tough and belittles everyone but when the chips are down you find that he’s quickly just as invested himself.

Then we have the body swapping arc which is another comedic classic. Kyubei has always been rather confused and acts like a guy so her big wish comes true and everyone switches genders. It’s a pretty entertaining arc and I have to say that living in this main town must get really confusing for everyone. Quite a few of the characters really take this in stride though. At the end of the day it’s not like their core personalities have changed after all, but of course they do have to get back to normal after that. It’s a fun arc while it lasts and is a natural climax to all of Kyubei’s inner doubts.

Kagura gets a fun little arc where the series remembers that she can’t handle the sunlight and it is deadly for her people. So she had gotten a bit lazy about this and ends up faking her own death with the sunlight but the problem now is how can she get out of this before they cremate her body? Additionally, some characters know the truth and are using this as an excuse to murder her. It’s going to be a tough situation to get out of and she has to choose between her life and her honor. This is a very short arc but definitely one of those absurd plots that is a lot of fun to read. you gotta be careful what kind of a gag you try to pull on your friends.

One extremely short arc was about Gintama breaking the clock that controls all of time by mistake. So now time is frozen and nobody can move on. In this world even clocks can spell disaster I suppose. There was also a quick little party where Gintoki and the other 3 members of the original 4 man squad try to remember a 5th person who invited them there but they have a hard time with it. You feel bad for the guy. It has to be rough having nobody remember you even when you were a big member.

There’s an arc that is mainly comedic but with some emotional undertones. One day when Ayame is trying to mess with Gintoki as always and get him to marry her, her glasses end up breaking. So Gintoki gets her some new ones but they don’t actually work for her. She decides to use them anyway since they were a gift but now she is messing up more than ever and a group of assassins are after her. So she has to learn to look out for herself and ditch the glasses even if they were a gift for Gintoki. It’s a good arc with a solid moral about looking out for yourself too. You may like someone a lot but if they give you something that doesn’t work or actively hurts you then you should just not use it. Ayame learns this the hard way.

Idol groups are a big deal apparently, so big that the galaxy’s strongest idol group shows up to take down the one on Gintoki’s planet. This battle has high stakes because the winner will effectively rule the universe after this. So losing is definitely not an ideal option. The main idol group isn’t bad but the galaxy’s strongest have a ton of dirty tricks up their sleeve to watch out for. This isn’t one of my favorite arcs and I’d say it’s because there aren’t too many gags you can use this one. The main gag that you have to keep on repeating is how all of the fans are pervs and nerds which doesn’t last very long as a funny gag.

A better arc involves the body switch between Hiijikata and Gintoki. Again, if there’s a comedy trope that you have heard of, it will appear in Gintama at least once. The seires was ready for anything and this was a really fun one. Naturally they have completely different leadership styles as Gintoki is super laidback and does whatever he wants while Hiijikata is super strict. So both groups have a lot of trouble getting behind this and it makes for a pretty fun story. I was definitely satisfied the whole way through.

There are a bunch of mini arcs that reference other series like Jojo’s, Hunter X Hunter, Bleach, the Saw movies, and more. So you can expect to see those and have some fun with them. Most are pretty short and I didn’t go into as much detail here but you know these are always a blast. Then there is the big scandal arc where Gintoki gets drunk on New Year’s and may have had several affairs. Unfortunately he doesn’t remember what happened and since this is Gintoki, he knows that it’s all possible. So this leads to a ton of misunderstandings and shenanigans as he tries to solve all of this. He will have to hurry or people will lose whatever respect they have left for him. Of course, nobody respects him anyway so that means there aren’t really any stakes here.

The mini arc involving a time skip was definitely some brilliant stuff. While Shinpachi thought the series just went on a 1 week break, 2 years had actually passed within Gintama. So everyone has new designs and even their personalities are a bit different. It’s all rather odd and he has fallen behind now which is really rough. The gags here were all on point and it was a great way to poke fun at the time skips. Gintama is definitely a series that absolutely masters the art of breaking the third wall. It does this extremely effective at all times so I was really impressed the whole time. It’s very short but still very funny.

Dragon Quest is so big that it has tons of references throughout the series but one big one is the Tama Quest mini arc. She gets a virus so the characters have to log in and get rid of it but the whole experience basically turns into a video game. That’s definitely a fun way to adapt how these things go, so I had a pretty good time here. Even the art style looks like an 8 bit video game which shows how much range the artist has. Seriously, it’s one of the best looking manga titles out there.

Now we’re mostly going to be getting into the more serious arcs. First up is an arc that shows us the first meeting between Sakamoto and Mutsu. As always Sakamoto was biting off more than he could chew with a big sales scam to some pirates. Ultimately he manages to turn on the charm and Mutsu likes how determined he is. Sakamoto ends up helping her out and she joins him as a permanent ally. He’s sure lucky to have someone like her who is super powerful by his side. She could easily crush him at any time but they have a solid amount of mutual respect going for them. It was nice to see how they first met and it would have been a shame if we never got to see that. Even without Gintoki getting to do much here, the arc holds up well.

Another serious arc is Okita’s introduction arc. He’s a very serious guy who generally just beats everyone up as he looks for a worthy opponent but he is very mellow when his sister is around. He acts like just a general nice guy and we find out that she’s super sick and her fiancé is evil. The arc is an example of how Gintama isn’t afraid to get really dark. There is no cure for her ailment and she just gets closer and closer to her death while Okita has to do his job and take the fiancé down. It’s a tough road for everyone involved but ultimately at least she got to see that Okita takes his job very seriously. Definitely not an arc that you really expect when reading Gintama but it worked well.

Okita has a big role in another arc where Gintoki had a sword get stuck in his backside. This presents a ton of obvious problems like even the basic action of sitting down but what’s even worse is that the sword works like a symbiote. If Gintoki isn’t careful then he will be taken over. The sword also has a wife and a rival/villain who also get stuck into different characters. Okita and Gintoki will have to fight to the death here but is there any way to get the swords out. This is one of those arcs that is mainly comedic and absurd but also has some serious moments with the sword’s backstory. Good luck taking it seriously though. I thought this was a pretty fun one that shows just how unique the series is.

Then we have one of those arcs that has to be Bleach inspired. A weather girl gets involved with demons and the supernatural so Gintoki and friends step in to help since they love her program. Gintoki makes sure to watch every day after all but can they handle supernatural menaces? Well, of course they can! The series also has soul reaper equivalents so it’s not like this is too crazy to deal with. It was nice to see the weather girl get involved because she is mentioned constantly in the series but rarely gets to take the center stage. So that was pretty fun.

Another short but key arc is when Otae and Shinpachi’s master shows up. The guy should have been dead for years but somehow he has survived and now he has a cool beam sword. Unfortunately Gintoki realizes that the guy is a double agent and has a powerful bomb within him. So he has to destroy the guy even if it means breaking the hearts of his closest friends. It’s a really emotional arc to be sure and also underscores Gintoki’s resolve. He may joke around a whole lot but when it comes to his friends, he will even be the villain if that’s what it takes to keep them safe. It’s a mindset that I can absolutely respect.

Then we get the introduction to Kagura’s father, Umibouzu. The guy is a beast in combat and easily one of the most powerful characters in the whole series. Still, he definitely has his silly side the whole time and I always like the rivalry between him and Gintoki with regard to being Kagura’s true father. It’s true that the biological father is always off planet while Gintoki has been the one actually raising her. I tend to be on his side when things are getting competitive to be honest. Umibouzu is still a good guy of course but Gintoki’s still better. This arc’s a fun way to meet the dad and learn more about Kagura at the same time.

After that we also have an arc with Kyubey showing up to try and win over Otae. Meanwhile Kondo is getting engaged to a gorilla and this won’t be the last time that happens. He likes Otae as well but can he really compete with Kyubey who is an absolute prodigy, good at just about everything and just a lot more impressive than Kondo can ever hope to be? It’s tough but there is a twist about Kyubey and how she’s actually a girl which is extremely lucky for Kondo. Kyubey would go on to be one of the more entertaining characters and this arc was definitely a lot of fun. It’s fairly low key but we get to see Otae a lot which is good since she’s generally more of a side character.

There’s also a fairly small but serious arc with a terrorist named Jiraia shows up to cause a lot of destruction and Gintoki has to take him out. This was a really good arc and has one of the best fights in the series. We really get to see Gintoki going the extra mile and fighting even when he has serious injuries. We would see more and more of this as the series goes on but it was one of the first times we could see exactly what Gintoki could do. It was definitely a masterful storyline.

An arc that is a bit of a cross between humor and action has the characters get taken to a turtle island which quickly becomes a save the world type of mission as they have to stop some cannons and start being transformed as well. It’s definitely a good bit of fun especially with Katsura being a main character. The heroes really have to try and surpass their limits in order to win here. It ended up being really memorable for me as a result even though the arc isn’t very long and is fairly early in the series.

As we approach the last big arc, we get different arcs that connect to the main storyline as every big villain is taken care of. One of these is for taking down Oboro, one of the more powerful fighters. It turns out that his past goes way back. He makes for a pretty good enemy, that’s for sure. Utsuro is really the big boss though and he’s the kind of guy that keeps coming back over and over again. You really have to respect how durable he is and the full nature of his plans. His backup plans have backup plans. One arc has him trigger a war between different planets in the universe, then he ends up attacking the planet, then he turns into a kid which causes a civil war among Gintoki and his allies, etc. The last few arcs are mostly a ton of nonstop fights in the middle of all of this.

The arcs are all really solid but the one part you don’t end up caring about much it eh Shogun plot in space. Unfortunately Katsura is stuck in that plot so you won’t actually get to see him fighting all that much there. It’s too bad since I felt like the series always hinted that he was actually the best fighter but it’s hard to prove without more evidence. The final arcs do a great job of involving just about every character who ever appeared into it. That’s super impressive and it feels like a true Shonen final arc. The final chapters even throw in an extra time skip with new designs and gimmicks as well to give some more closure. There is also an epilogue too that goes on surprisingly long during the arc. Gintama ended as it started, with a lot of troll moves that’s for sure.

Then the Shinsengumi also have quite a few arcs where they get to do a lot. Their arcs don’t tend to be the most interesting in part because Gintoki and friends tend to take a backseat. I know the arcs themselves are rather popular though and I wouldn’t say they’re bad or anything. I probably just have them a bit lower than most. One of these introduces the Mimawarigumi, which is basically a reverse group. They will show up a whole lot and the two groups are constantly battling it out. The group also aren’t a bunch of throwaways or anything like that. They are able to hold their own blow for blow against the main group and have a lot of real members. They even get their own origin stories and such later on so that was definitely impressive.

Then you have the big farewell arc as well. This one is really long and has both groups fighting a whole lot but most importantly it starts to tie into the final arcs with the cosmic villain showing up with his big shots. It’s one of those climaxes that just keeps going and is really hype. So ironically I like it more for the non Shinsengumi parts but it’s the same arc so it still counts. There are tons of mob fights here too so if that’s your thing then it’s a bonus. We get so many army against army fights that they will probably start to blend together after a while though. I would say that happened to me after a while as well, I tend to always prefer the direct battles. We do get plenty of those in this arc too though.

You’ve also got the Shogun arc which is also about the Shinsengumi a lot. The Shogun is still one of my least favorite characters though, no matter how much the series wanted to try and make him likable. Similar to the last arc, this one gets elevated by Kamui showing up later on as opposed to the Shinsengumi parts. The fights there are some of the best in the series so I was definitely impressed all the way. It’s absolutely an arc to keep your eye on and one of the turning points in the series in terms of going all the way into action.

So I didn’t quite throw in every arc but that was quite a lot of story to get into. There are also tons of one shot chapters that have running gags that keep on appearing so they are like mini arcs that aren’t connected. In particular one excellent one is when Gintoki visits a prison to help an aspiring manga author. That was always a really fun set of stories and it shows how Gintoki would really make time to help people. The gags were always a lot of fun. All right, deep breath now people because it’s time to talk about the characters and man does this series have a lot of them! Naturally I won’t be talking about every single character but I will be talking about a whole lot of them so prepare yourself.

First off we have to start with Gintoki of course and he’s an incredible lead. A top tier Shonen Jump protagonist all the way. He may not be the most heroic or anything like that but he does have a lot of convictions and will always protect his friends. He’s a lot like Kenshin when you think about it. Gintoki is trying to leave his dark past behind him and have a lot of fun but it always ends up catching up to him in time. He’s an extremely layered character who excels in both the comedic and serious stories. He’s one of the best characters in the series and has a ton of iconic moments. Definitely one of those characters you can be inspired by and even learn a few things from.

Shinpachi certainly doesn’t have Gintoki’s confidence and is often lagging behind when it comes time to fight. He just doesn’t have the skills needed to keep up with most of the characters but he tries hard. I tend to like him more in the comedic moments than in the serious situations since he adds a lot to the dynamic in the funny moments. He definitely does earn his spot among the main cast though, the series wouldn’t be the same without him. The straight man role in a joke is something that I’ll probably never really find the humor in but he has enough of his own gags to make up for this. There’s always a lot for him to do.

Kagura is naturally even funnier though and with her superhuman strength she is able to hold her own in the serious arcs too which I appreciate. She gets a lot of backstory which is actually rather tragic but she always keeps up a good spirit. She may give Gintoki a tough time but they have a good father/daughter bond throughout the series. All 3 members are definitely needed in order to make the series reach its full potential each time. Of course there is also the dog Sadaharu. He may not be able to talk but at the same time he has a reasonable role here since he has a lot of personality. He will actively attack Gintoki at times and surprisingly gets an extremely big role near the climax of the series. That really took me by surprise since I was not expecting that at all. We get to really see a lot into how strong the bonds between him and the rest of the characters are.

Tae is Shinpachi’s sister and her role is fairly big even if she isn’t usually important to the story of the arc. She is always around being the mature member while everyone else is messing around. Quite a few characters in the series like her as a result but in particular Kyubey and Kondo fight over her. She usually brushes them off fairly well and definitely has her violent side as well. Nobody better dare mess with her or it’s all over! She’s a fun enough side character for sure and usually understands quicker than the others why Gintoki does what he does when it’s time for a serious choice to be made.

As the landlord, Otose is always giving Gintoki a lot of grief because of how late he is with the payments. I definitely get it since that’s her livelihood and she needs that money in order to survive. That said, at the end of the day she does let him get away with a whole lot and is a very reasonable person. Catherine is a more mild supporting character who doesn’t appear very often towards the end. Her role is usually to get dunked on by everyone else for how ugly she is and how she looks like a cat. Definitely not a very flattering role to be sure but it’s hard to feel bad for her when she starts the fight a lot of the time.

Hiraga is a local inventor who helps out quite a bit. His role is never all that huge but he sticks around since near the beginning of the series so his appearances add up. He’s not amazing or anything but he’s not bad. It’s always good to have a mechanic on hand. He is able to help out Tama a lot who actually is a great character. Tama is a robot who may not know too much about human customs but learns a whole lot during her interactions with Gintoki and the crew. She has a lot of personality and also has some gadgets to fight with when things get serious. She’s always fun.

Now lets talk about the best character in the series. So Katsura is usually one of those gag characters who doesn’t take things too seriously but don’t let that fool you into thinking he is weak or anything like that. I would argue quite strongly that he is stronger than Gintoki and Shinsuke. My reasoning for that is when they were kids Katsura was always shown to be the best. He would consistently win and then in the present I would assume that things stayed the same. The difficult part is that he is often not on the front lines in the same way that the others are. It feels like most of the time he would end up on some kind of side quest that has nothing to do with anything. So that was a little disappointing but I guess it is what it is.

Regardless, he does have a big role in so many stories that I shouldn’t be too greedy. His gags were always a lot of fun. I like the idea of his being a super genius who just keeps himself entertained by messing around the whole time. Then he has his best friend Elizabeth which the series has a lot of fun with. We get a lot of twists about that character and you have to decide how many of them to take seriously. Elizabeth is definitely a really odd character all around but in the end the dynamic works rather well.

Shinsuke is the main villain for a good chunk of the series although he spends a lot of time in the shadows so once he does actually appear, there isn’t quite as much time for him. Still, he’s not the kind of villain that you are likely to forget, that’s for sure! He has a really good backstory that explains why he turned out the way that he did and you get it. It’s a really tragic origin story and he has a lot of people to blame for what happened. A main theme in the series is about growing up and moving on from the past though so he actually has quite a few deep conversations with Gintoki about things. He’s definitely a very layered villain and one who is always a threat.

He has a few subordinates but the biggest one by far has to be Bansai. Bansai has a really good intro and it seems like he can hold his own with the stronger characters but surprisingly his role always ends up staying rather small. He doesn’t get the big feature fights that you would expect to see out of him. I like the design though and I suppose not everyone has to have their big action moments. He’s still around for a bunch of the war scenes and everything.

Then we have the best villain, Kamui. He’s a solid wild card and whenever he shows up you know things are going to get bad for the heroes. His stats are out of this world to the point where Gintoki and the others can’t beat him in a fair fight. It’s safe to say that he is the single strongest character in the series except for the final boss. That guy still has him beat I suppose. So Kamui gets a lot of chances to dominate and he’s generally the kind of character who loves to fight and test his limits. I always love characters like that.

Of course there are several Shinsengumi characters who end up being big so lets go through them. First up is Kondo and for the first chunk of the series I would constantly mix him up with Hasegawa. In my defense, the two of them are way too similar. Seriously their personalities aren’t that far apart either. I can’t say that I ever liked Kondo much. He was always super desperate so he looked bad. He doesn’t stand up for himself and so his persona as being a big shot in the organization doesn’t work.

I actually preferred Hasegawa who at least made himself into a professional homeless person. That’s not easy and he had his own sense of pride the whole time. His parody moments would actually land rather well so I had to give him a lot of props. Not enough to say that he is a very good character or anything like that though. He just beats Kondo which isn’t a high bar. Then we have Yamazaki who can also be rather desperate but at least he knows what he is doing. He’s a good undercover agent who isn’t afraid to play the long game when tailing a target. Now that’s what I call skill and dedication.

Then we have Hiijikata who is a pretty fun character. His mayo gimmick is definitely fun and he actually acts as a foil to Gintoki at times. I never bought him being in the same level of power as the lead to be honest but he was still good to have around. His strict leadership style really isn’t bad at all and he made the group a force to be reckoned with. It wouldn’t be the same without Okita though who is a really good standout character. He’s another guy who likes to fight and never backs down from anything. Not all of his personality traits are great to be honest but he tends to be awesome more times than he is not. So I would give the guy a full thumbs up in the end.

Then we have the reverse group and they had two big members. The first one is Sasaki who does well to command his fighting troops. He’s a serious guy without a doubt and definitely not someone to be underestimated. I can’t say I loved his character but he made for a good villain. His right hand woman Nobume was a lot more intense though. Now she was a blast and a good rival for Okita. Honestly she was too good for that group the whole time and I would look forward to her scenes. It was always nice to get more star fighters.

The series definitely liked its duos though. Next up we have another one. Ayame is a ninja who is completely obsessed with Gintoki. She stalks him and does whatever she can in order to attract his attention. On one hand, her determination itself is admirable but the stalker kind of character is rarely my cup of tea. Her gags tend to be more annoying than funny and I couldn’t take her seriously in the power department. The same is true of her boss Hattori. He may have technically been one of the main 4 with Gintoki and friends in the past but he never seemed nearly as tough. The guy doesn’t have the same level of grit or determination either. Honestly the guy felt rather fraudulent the whole time. I never ended up liking him and he often had some of the weaker chapters although I did like that time Gintoki and friends dressed up as ninja. Wait a sec, half of that was for Sakamoto. Yeah these are two characters I absolutely mixed up all the time. They act the same and their dynamics with their partners are the same as well. Maybe this is the one weakness of the series because having multiple characters this easy to mix up is a little crazy.

One primary character in the main town is Tsukuyo. She’s sort of like a mafia gang member and she seems to like Gintoki but I wouldn’t expect that romance to go anywhere. She’s a tough heroine who can dish out damage with the best of them. It’s always fun to see her even if she rarely gets to step in during the serious arcs. Another good heroine is Kyubei. She may be confused for a while as to what her gender even is but at the end of the day she does have some serious fighting abilities. I was a little surprised that she didn’t show up more in the serious arcs but her gags were always rather fun. Ayumu could be a little more on the annoying side when he would try to look out for her though. He really just had that single gag.

Then we have the big villain, Utsuro. He is an extremely interesting character due in large part to the fact that the storyline really doesn’t go how you think it would. The origin story is extremely unique with more twists than you would expect. Ultimately, I thought the series did an excellent job with him. He felt like a true end game boss, the kind of guy you could never take down. In a lot of ways he really was invincible all the way through to the end which is what you would expect from a character like this. He just kept on coming back over and over again to great success.

The series is no stranger to good villains though. Jiraia is another intense villain who still has one of the most iconic fights in the series. I loved seeing Gintoki have to try and use all of his skills to try and repel the guy’s sheer speed. Definitely not something that just anyone could pull off, I can tell you that! Another reason why Gintoki is one of the all time greats but Jiraia is a villain you just don’t forget.

Another really solid villain is Housen. The guy is a super strong fighter who really gives Gintoki a tough time. You definitely must not underestimate him and while he’s not a recurring villain, he made his presence felt. Umibouzu isn’t a villain per say but he does go up against Gintoki and friends so I figured I’d mention him here. He’s actually fun when he’s being serious although he does goof off a lot. Now there are a bunch of other supporting characters but I’m going to end with one of my least favorite.

The Shogun. This guy is an absolute waste of time. In all of the comedic chapters his only role is to get humiliated over and over again with no end in sight. Really just an annoying character and by the time he is to get his serious moments, it’s just too late. I just can’t take him seriously. It’s rough since he has a lot of screen time and big emotional moments meant to make him go higher but they still didn’t win me over. I suppose at least I can say that his final scene actually was pretty emotional and I won’t forget it.

So that is the world of Gintama! Quite a lot to go through there. It may seem like an intimidating title to jump into but the best advice is to just jump into it straightaway. For the jokes, as long as you have a good sense of humor then you should have a blast here. Just remember that pretty much no joke is out of bounds here. You’ll have some fairly intense ones, suggestive jokes, crude jokes, etc. Every kind of joke is here and while I would say that way more of the jokes land than miss, not every joke will work for everyone. So just see what you think of the tone and work from there. Hopefully you also like the action scenes as well since those end up being super important.

You can also treat the series as educational to an extent. There are tons of themes in the show about bettering yourself as a person and remaining optimistic. Gintoki always saw the bright side of things no matter how bad things got. Yes the series can be really silly but in a way it’s always just a played up version of real things that people feel and experience. A ton of the mini arcs all focus on different trials and the serious ones of course have a lot of motivational moments as well. There is a lot more to the series than meets the eye and it was already elite before that point. Gintoki has more hype cliffhangers and rage modes than almost any other protagonist.

Overall, Gintama is definitely an elite title and one of the very best in Jump. It’s super impressive how long it kept on going for and it has a ton of replay value because of how many great stories were in here. By the time you finish the series you can absolutely go back to the start and enjoy the nostalgia of seeing the characters back in the happy days of the series. It works well as a really good loop. It’s really the kind of series that could have even kept going but that probably sounds a bit greedy after this long runtime. So I’ll just be content with what we got and I highly recommend reading this series. It’s not without its flaws, it probably makes just about every mistake possible at different points in the series. At the end of the day though, it was long enough to override all of those issues and manages to be really top tier. It’s why you can’t give up, even if you come across an underwhelming arc, the series can always rebound so long as it keeps on going. There is always a chance.

Overall 9/10

The Goodbye Girl Review

Posted on April 28, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a rom-com that’s definitely got a good amount of drama in it. One of the main messages here I would say is to be careful who you decide to date because things can easily move sideways. Ultimately the film is entertaining and you’ll have a good time but you can’t really buy into the romance considering how much both characters hated each other for a while there. Well, mainly it was on Paula’s side towards Elliot but he didn’t really help matters.

The film starts by introducing us to Paula who has had a rough time of things. She and her husband divorced so now she takes care of her daughter Lucy by herself. She meets a guy named Tony who seems all right except for the fact that he is already married but Paula makes the terrible decision of getting with him too. Inevitably he ditches her shortly after. Additionally, he ends up renting out Paula’s apartment over to his friend Elliot. Paula has to vacate the place immediately and well she’s not happy about that. So when Elliot moves in, Paula decides not to move out. Can these two manage to get along?

Now both characters are jerks to each other for a while there but I will say I am a bit more sympathetic for Elliot here. The guy actually did pay for the apartment for several months in advance so yeah he does own the apartment. legally. The whole time Paula is giving him a ton of attitude but he’s actually being very tolerant since he really could have her kicked out. At the end of the day he is a good guy who doesn’t actually want to kick her out mainly because of the kid. I do think he’s restrained a whole lot so as not to make things tough for Lucy.

Yeah during the movie he retaliates a whole lot but I can’t blame him for that. Additionally he was expecting to have the place to himself so he could do whatever he wanted and now he basically has roommates. Paula starts giving him a ton of different house rules right out of the gate. Elliot quickly comes up with his own rules, some of which are a bit much I’ll admit. The morning yoga with burning incense comes to the top of my mind. Playing the guitar during the night isn’t a big deal if you ask me though.

Basically he’s trying for a reaction at times and Paula makes it really easy since she has a big reaction to everything. As for Paula, she’s been through a lot so you feel bad for her. You’d expect her to be a little less aggressive to be honest since she doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on here though. If she ever gets Elliot really upset he could really just kick her out since their whole temporary agreement isn’t legally binding in any way. She’s certainly been jaded by the men in her life but it has also removed her tactical experience. Every time Elliot messes with her she reacts in the wrong way, it’s almost funny how badly she is losing the battle initially.

Lucy is used as a contrast here where we see how she isn’t bothered by anything that he does. Elliot playing guitar through the night? Lucy doesn’t notice. Elliot starts chanting in the morning? Lucy notices but doesn’t care. Every single time Paula looks to Lucy to have a comrade in arms who is really upset but Lucy has already fallen asleep again or doesn’t really care. So Lucy does well I would say. She’s also very reluctant about having another man in the house and I don’t blame her since the last ones have all struck out. In that way I’d actually say she is being more sensible as well. The whole roommates to lovers thing just seems like a weak foundation for a romance if you ask me. Both of them are just charmed in the short run to have someone nice to talk to but that’s about it. It’s probably why Paula has been running through relationships.

Now I should say for a romance like this where both people are fighting, there are ways to make this work. Basically you can’t have either character go too far with how much they dislike each other. You establish that part of it is a defense mechanism and for the most part there should not be any prior baggage. Part of why this one doesn’t work is because for Paula at minimum this is the third guy. The squabbling romance works better when it’s an initial romance. Additionally it just doesn’t feel like there is any reason for each character to fall for each other because of all the bitterness here. I would say Elliot does put in most of the work here though. While Paula is still being rather rude and petty at times, Paula does his best like helping out with expenses and not intentionally messing with her. Aside from his early trolling with the yoga, he typically doesn’t start any of the fights. It still doesn’t make the romance work any smoother but I can at least say it’s not quite as fast as some other movies where it happens immediately.

As for each character’s individual plot, Paula is trying to become a dancer again but the problem is that she has been out of the game for too long. She’s gotten a bit too old and dancing is really a young person’s game. Ultimately she tries and it doesn’t work out which does make sense. It’s hard to compete with other dancers who have been doing this their whole life. When that doesn’t work she tries other jobs like being a car salesman but things don’t go too well. She is trying so you have to give her some credit there, it’s just tough to really get into a job sometimes with no prior experience at the ready.

Meanwhile Elliot’s definitely got a tough road here as well. He is an aspiring actor about to finally get his big role but the problem is that the director’s kind of a hack. He wants to butcher a production of Richard III by completely changing his character and personality. All of Elliot’s previous training and rehearsing has completely gone down the drain now. I’d be upset if I was him as well. Unfortunately the director does have way more power than the actor in this case. He tries to make the best of it and ultimately does get a few concessions from the director.

Overall, The Goodbye Girl is a film that’s fun enough. It tend to land more on the comedy than the romance though so the first half ends up beating the latter. It’s actually a decently long movie so at least there is plenty of time for the fun comedy before things get serious. With films like this it is always inevitable that the main two are going to get together no matter how improbable it is. You’ll be rolling your eyes a bit at all of that but the banter before then is handled well. I’d say the writing is on point as well and so this is a movie that I can recommend.

Overall 6/10

Toradora! Review

Posted on April 20, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time to jump into one of those big romance-comedy titles from a while back. This one definitely goes all in on the comedy right from the jump as the first episode launches quickly with the main heroine punching the guy’s lights out and then breaking into his house. That really set the show up on a good pace and it’s definitely a really fun title. Usually the weakest part of any romantic comedy tends to be the ending as the comedy part eventually has to give way for the serious romance and this one is no exception. The ending is a bit of a trainwreck at times but that’s less than 10% of the whole show so either way I am able to solidly recommend this title to anyone regardless.

The show starts off by introducing us to Ryuji who is your average teen except for the fact that he was born with a really scary face. So everybody thinks he’s a big delinquent and that makes it tough for him to approach the love of his life, Minori. Well, this school term is his chance to get past that but unfortunately he is in the same class as the Palm-Top Tiger. A legendary delinquent whose short stature doesn’t stop her from beating everyone up. Sure enough, she knocks him out early on and it turns out that she lives right across the street from him. There is one thing that connects them though, Taiga is in love with Ryuji’s best friend Yusaku and Taiga’s best friend is Minori. So they decide that they will help each other obtain true love but what if they end up falling for each other somewhere in the process?

Now I have to admit that if they didn’t fall for each other in the end I may even bump this up to an 8 because that would be completely unheard of for this kind of show. You want to talk about plot twists? This would be the biggest plot twist in the anime industry. Regardless, for a show like this the process is more important than the outcome. After all in a grand sense you know how most stories will end. It’s just all about the execution on just how good the story will be and the execution here is pretty fun.

Right off the bat you see that this show isn’t afraid to have some slapstick in the mix. When Taiga’s not slapping Ryuji, she’s punching, headbutting, or just pushing him around. She’s definitely a really tough character and the show can be super expressive. There’s always some comedic violence going on and the gags work very well. I do tend to enjoy Tsundere type characters in just about all anime but of course it also depends on how the writing goes. This was a very well written character and the rest of them are very different from Taiga so it’s also not like this will get repetitive. She’s actually the only openly violent character.

I would also say that another strength to the show is that each character gets a whole lot of depth. Rather than expanding the cast with the show getting over 20 episodes, it mainly sticks to the main cast from the first part so they all get their own character arcs. Yeah there are a few side characters who don’t do much but they didn’t have a ton of potential anyway. The show’s at its best when Ryuji and Taiga are trying to come up with a lot of plans and just failing miserably the whole time. After the final episode there is a bonus episode involving school bento lunches that takes place early on and it easily clobbered most of the final episodes because of this.

It’s a series where you get so invested into the comedy that you don’t even want the plot to return. Of course, the fact that the plot exists is why the comedy can be good so you can’t really go without it. It’s like a mystery series, you have to allow for an ending even if you feel bad because you wanted more of the intrigue. The ending/reveal is a necessary weak point for these kinds of genres so you just have to get ready and accept it. In the meantime though you get to really enjoy the comedic moments as they come in.

Fortunately the animation is also very high end and is able to complement the humor well. We even get a fight scene that actually looks rather good in one of the classrooms. We’re talking about some real physical blows being thrown around and a lot of movement. There’s also a brief slapping fight later on during a trip and a nice attention to detail was that the stronger fighter got a much more powerful sound effect for each slap. The show was always ready to pay attention to each detail which was good.

As for the soundtrack, this is one area where the show definitely went above expectations. There are a number of really catchy tunes in the show. The first opening is also really solid. I’m not as on board with the second one but it’s okay. Unfortunately my favorite theme in the show seems to be hard to find on Youtube so I suspect it’s a small part of a track so I need to listen to it more carefully to find this one. It’s got some nice randomness to it that fits the moments.

So yeah the writing is really solid and that helps the series be a lot of fun. The main cast is generally really solid as well. As for the romance….well yeah get ready for a lot of rebounds. Naturally the romance will usually be the weak link here. I did smirk a bit as the romance went on because at first the show is at least trying to make you think that this won’t turn into one of those titles where everyone likes the main character but at the end that is also something that’s difficult for the genre to dodge. So I can’t say I was behind the end game pairing here. I wasn’t particularly rooting for any of them but naturally the best girl does lose since that’s always how it goes with these things.

The reason the climax fails a bit for me though isn’t even directly related to the romance. I felt like a few of the story beats weren’t developed enough so you were almost rooting against the main characters. For example towards the end Ryuji gets upset with his Mom for trying too hard to make everything work out without relying on him. So he then decides to run off which doesn’t solve any of the issues and really just makes him look super ungrateful. I wasn’t on board with him at all here. It’s at least a little understandable for Taiga but even then it feels too drastic. You never got the feeling that things were as dire as the main two made it out to be.

Then the final episode plays out a bit too melodramatic in some ways. There was no reason for Taiga’s final decision which just put a lot of heat on Ryuji for no reason. I guess the ending throws you a bone but it just felt unnecessary. So the final 2-3 episodes started to feel a bit off and the plot developments feel random at best but like I said, the rest of the journey was on point so that’s really what counts. There’s also a big difference between an underwhelming ending and a downright bad one. Like it’s not enough to lower the score or anything like that. Now lets talk about the characters.

First up is Ryuji who is super addicted to cleaning. He actually gets excited when he sees that a place is messy since it means that he can get in there and make the place look perfect. This gag doesn’t appear very often but I’d say that it’s a good character gimmick. Meanwhile he’s a nice guy who does his best to look out for everyone and make things work out. He doesn’t always make the right calls and makes a few mistakes particularly when the parental figures are involved but at least he means well.

He has enough courage to try asking out Minori several times which is more than a lot of other main characters. Things tend to not go his way which are usually due to stuff he can’t control. He also does his best to look out for Taiga even when they were just neighbors. I’d say this shines through a lot more on his side than Taiga’s to be honest. For most of the series he is helping her out without much in return for himself and he seems to genuinely care. He is the kind of guy who will really help anyone out.

Then you have his best friend Yusaku who can be a little more on the annoying side. His main character flaw seems to be trying to ignore what is happening in order to avoid conflict. That means acting oblivious whenever it suits him. He looks really bad in his mini arc as well when he starts to act out. I would definitely say that was his worst moment by far and it was hard to recover from that. From the main cast he was definitely the weakest. Still not a bad character I’d say but yeah he mostly worked as an obstacle/antagonist rather than amping up the main cast.

Then on the heroine side we have Taiga as the main heroine and she definitely brings in a lot of the heart for the show. She’s a little out of her depth on how the whole romance thing goes and so Ryuji has to help her a whole lot. Half the time it feels like he set things up pretty well for her but she wouldn’t have the nerve to go along with it and would mess things up for him. So again, you have to give Ryuji a whole lot of points for effort here. Taiga’s toughness is part of what makes her so much fun though. At one point she isn’t sure how she can help emotionally so she takes out her sword and just starts beating someone up.

As the show goes on she gradually learns more though and stars to become more aware of how to act on her emotions. In a way it helps her move on when she sees that she’s not the first choice. Of course that doesn’t work with the rebound that comes in later on but she definitely changes a lot from the start to finish. She tries to go down the noble route of just letting the guy she likes go so that she doesn’t wreck another relationship. Ultimately after a lot of pressure she isn’t able to hang on but it was a good attempt.

Her constant banter with Ryuji is always a lot of fun and she’s an entertaining character. Taiga is very much a bold kind of character who goes and tries her best at everything she tries. Then you have her friend Minori who is also a great character. Minori always believes in trying really hard at everything in life. She joins tons of different clubs and jobs and pushes herself to her very limits. She also believes in always having a great attitude and never gets down about things.

Minori even faces her fears right away in the first episodes without backing down. So she’s really fun and is another selfless character who is willing to throw away her desires to help someone else out. This can sometimes turn into a bit of a Martyr case where these things just start to build up but I can still admire this part of her. Eventually when her buttons are pushed enough she will cut loose but it takes a whole lot to get to that point. It’s never that she’s fake either but she tries to just tune things out that would cause her to lose her focus.

So she’s another really solid heroine here and of course the more solid characters you have, the more tragic the ending is going to inevitably be. The most tragic would have to be Ami though who is also the most mature character. Everyone expects her to be super mature too which is the tough part since she has an image to maintain. If she lets it slip at any point then it starts to turn into trouble. At first she’s a jerk but gradually gets nicer as the series goes on.

I give her the most credit here because she successfully keeps in her feelings at all times. Even by the end it’s not clear if Ryuji ever got what was going on. Ami made some fair attempts but when they didn’t work, she never tried to get in the way of the other relationships or cause trouble. In her own way she even helped out her rivals a whole lot. It’s the tragic kind of romance that is one sided but that’s what makes it fun to root for if you had to pick a pairing to go for. Can she get ahead of the other characters? It’s not always easy though and if someone’s not into you then that’s really where that ends. There’s not much that you can do about that.

So Ami’s a character that was doomed from the jump and you feel bad for her the whole time. She really stuck the landing though and never took things the wrong way. She ended up being the best character in the show easy and that’s saying a lot since the cast is generally pretty good. Then we have a few minor classmates but they tend to be weaker or just don’t get much to do. First is Koji who is just annoying the whole time. I felt like he had no real purpose in the story other than to be annoying. Seriously he doesn’t add anything to the story at all and he’s just not that funny. I guess he serves the role as the hopeless flirt who is out of his league.

Then there is Hisamisu who gets a sudden romance plot with Maya at the end but it comes in way too late. It’s also crazy how late he is to the party as he tries to ship Taiga and Yusaku well after that plot had already ended. Meanwhile Maya was trying to get Ryuji and Taiga together so she could be with Yusaku but nothing really came out of this either. Maya was at least a fun character though and if she had appeared more I think she would have been able to add to the dynamic.

Then we have Ryuji’s mom Yasuko who has a medium sized role here. While the show is mainly good about not having too much fanservice, it does feel like that is her role for the most part. There are other moments for other characters here and there but the camera usually gets dicey when Yasuko is around. I feel like this even fools the writers into forgetting just how tragic of a character she is. Yasuko has to raise Ryuji all by herself and works nights and picks up as many part time jobs as possible to support him. She is really working hard and doing her best at all times yet the show kind of turns against her in the end. I didn’t think anything about the ending was justified against her. They call her immature and everything but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

She sacrificed a whole lot to help Ryuji and it makes sense that she wanted him to focus on his studies. So this was one plot where I definitely disagreed with the direction that the show went in. We understood why Taiga’s dad was a big villain as he kept on breaking her heart over and over again. The Mom didn’t get enough to do so that’s a bit harder to tell but at least we could reasonably say she wasn’t being very helpful. This just wasn’t the case for Yasuko.

I’m not really sure what their pet bird Inko added to the show though. I think it went a bit too far in trying to make his character design look really ugly though. They could have made him look a little cooler. Then you have the teacher Yuri who is okay. You feel a little bad for her too though since her high school life definitely left her wanting for more and now she feels like she’s too old to really do anything. That’s got to be rough. She is absolutely too harsh on herself though.

Finally there is the student council present Sumire who doesn’t appear for long but she has a pivotal role in one arc. She was a solid character who handled the situation pretty well. I guess making a joke out of the guy’s confession towards her was not very nice but the setting for being asked out was pretty bad. Never ask someone out in front of a huge crowd and put them on the spot like that. Ultimately I can also see why she was a bit disillusioned since Yusaku took the news of her leaving so badly. I think she could have even been a good addition to the main cast as another strong member who could handle anything if she had stuck around.

Overall, Toradora is a pretty fun series. You’ll definitely get a solid amount of laughs out of it and the pacing is on point. The characters all get a ton of development to them and you really feel the progression from each of them. None of them are really the same as they initially started which is the sign of a solid show there. The status quo was definitely changed quite a few times and the show is long enough where it gets to take its time in each one and we can see the characters just interact. You really feel like you know all of the characters very well by the end. A sequel could definitely be fun at some point although the ending is fairly definitive. I also think it’s hard to match the school setting since in College they will all be split up but I suppose then it’s up to the writers to come up with a bunch of fun new characters.

Overall 7/10

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