The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Review

Posted on April 27, 2025 by dreager1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall 8/10

My Happy Marriage Season 2 Review

Posted on April 27, 2025 by dreager1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall 6/10

Charlotte Review

Posted on April 17, 2025 by dreager1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall 6/10

Plainsong Review

Posted on March 23, 2025 by dreager1

This is a Hall of Fame movie? I dunno about that, this one definitely doesn’t soar to the classic Hallmark levels of hype. Ultimately the biggest problem here is the lack of a satisfying conclusion to the movie. The antagonists get away with too much without any real penalties. Yes, you can say that maybe there were some consequences down the road but I don’t know if you can really make a convincing argument for that. It seems to me like you would have to do some leaps in logic on your own when the film could have just done that.

The movie follows a teacher named Tom who is having to raise his two kids by himself due to his wife being ill. His wife has retreated more and more into herself to the point where she first moves away but lets the boys see her, and then decides to completely go abroad. She has really deserted them in their time of need and Tom is already busy so now it’s going to be tougher on him. Meanwhile two of the teachers seem to like him. The more reserved Maggie and another girl who is really desperate. Tom has to be careful with how he proceeds…and of course there are also random bullies running around.

This is mainly Tom’s plot though. We also have Victoria who ends up getting pregnant and the guy doesn’t want anything to do with the baby. Victoria wants to keep the baby but has nowhere to go but fortunately she is taken to two elderly brothers who are okay with her moving in. They have a hard time connecting with her due to the age gap but do their best to be accommodating. Will Victoria be grateful for the help in her darkest hour or will she make some more bad mistakes?

Both plots can be annoying the whole time. I suppose the first one to dissect is Tom’s plot. I give him credit for not bad mouthing his wife or anything throughout the movie. She makes a lot of mistakes and is making his job harder but Tom just puts his head down and gets to work. Where Tom is a bit shakier is with the romance. I mentioned the desperate lady earlier and so he puts himself in dangerous situations like driving her home from the bar. Nothing happens but the fact is that something absolutely could have. She could have made a move in the car or claimed that he made a move. When someone’s interested in you, particularly when it’s one way then you have to make sure to never be in one on one situations.

It also gave Maggie the wrong idea but that’s a little harder to predict since the timing had to be perfect for that misunderstanding to occur. Their romance definitely felt a bit rushed though and it’s all moving pretty fast since Tom is still technically married. In fact, that’s the excuse he used for the first woman but then he forgot about that with Maggie. No matter how rocky things are, as long as there is no divorce then you can’t move on. Even then if it’s too fast then it plays out like a rebound. The movie didn’t really need any romance either since it’s not really crucial to the plot.

It’s not a good look for Maggie either for the same reasons. Tom is off the market right now and it basically has to stay that way. She needs to focus more on the schoolwork instead of all that. Another thing going on at the school is that Tom is being pressured to let one kid pass his class despite failing every test. Tom doesn’t want to do that but he may lose his job if he goes against the administration. Then meanwhile the guy actually goes and attacks his two kids. Yeah the two kids look really dumb in leaving home by themselves but you should still reasonably expect that they won’t be attacked by their fellow inhabitants.

The fact that nobody among the teens broke off the whole event was definitely disappointing. Likewise with Tom getting rocked by the bully’s father as well. No serious charges entered the mix or anything by the end of the film. These guys were literally attacking children and left them in the middle of a deserted area and nothing happened. The villains absolutely got away with wayyyyyyy too much by the end of that. It was definitely crazy.

Then with the Victoria plot, she looked really bad. It’s clear from the start that she was hanging out with the wrong crowd and naturally getting pregnant at such a young age is a bad look as well when it’s a voluntary action. You shouldn’t be engaging in acts that could leave you pregnant at such an age and it’s clear that the guy wasn’t ready for this. Then after being given a nice home, she leaves with the guy just to be reminded that he’s a total jerk all over again? It’s as if she had short term memory loss and in a lot of ways that has to be the most annoying part of this whole situation.

You can’t keep falling for the “Grass is always greener” approach. The two old men were nice enough to welcome her in once, to be honest if I was them there wouldn’t be a second chance after that. Kudos to them for being accepting but when you’re that old it’s not good to be having any real stress like that. She really just left without a word and scared them pretty badly. It’s a reminder to them that she would leave at the first sign of a better opportunity.

In a nutshell, the issues this film had were all boiled down to a weak character cast. The characters were mainly not likable and made the worst possible decisions. I think the old men would have made a much more interesting film at this point. The drama within the town just shows how corrupt everyone could be and I still can’t get over the teen getting away with punching a teacher and terrorizing two little kids. I’d want to be out of that town so fast if that kind of thing can just be overlooked.

Overall, Plainsong goes hard on the emotional beats but forgets to really have a resolution to them. When you just have sad plots over and over, it ends up making things too lopsided for any kind of ending to fix. I wouldn’t really be able to recommend this title because it’s more of a downer than anything else. You’ll want to watch a more traditional Hallmark film over this one.

Overall 4/10

Your Lie in April Review

Posted on March 22, 2025 by dreager1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall 4/10

Your Lie in April Review

Posted on March 22, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for a very emotional story about drama and loss. The series is definitely going for some themes about recovery here and using music is definitely a classic way to do it. That said, the title does end up losing steam by the end of its run and isn’t quite able to finish the journey. I would make the case that the ending goes against all of the main themes here and just doubles down too hard on how rough things can get. It’s definitely not what I was expecting there.

The series introduces us to a boy named Kousei who grew up as a piano prodigy. He was able to play any piece to near perfection but one day his sickly mother passed away. Kousei developed a mental block which prevents him from hearing music anymore and so he can no longer play the piano. Many years pass by and now the most he can do is trace lyrics and do some music work for school. He’s basically depressed and doesn’t have any real motivation. Well one day he meets up with a girl named Kaori who plays the violin. She declares that Kousei will be her accompanist and so it’s time to enter the competitions again. Can he really handle this though?

There is also a second wrinkle here which is that he immediately falls in love with her. The problem is that Kaori is dating his best friend Watari. So he knows she is out of reach and tries to squash his feelings but this gets tougher and tougher as the series goes on. These feelings may end up enhancing his music and yet they can also destroy it. He will need to figure out his feelings quickly or Kousei’s going to end up shutting down again. In a way this helps distract him from his previous trauma but it also opens up the door for more trauma.

The series has a fairly small cast although we do get more characters as the adventure goes on. We meet some rivals and mentor figures but for the most part this is definitely Kousei’s story all the way. He’s a good main character but at the same time he can be annoying at different points. He definitely panics quite a bit and is more on the timid side. He does a good job of getting past the trauma and pushing through though. So on that side he does pretty well for himself. I also appreciate him keeping his feelings for Kaori to himself for so long. That’s really the only option you have here because otherwise he would really be the bad guy in all this. You can’t confess to someone who is already taken. When the person you like is taken, you just gotta internalize and keep on living your life. Kousei really stays strong for the majority of the series until it doesn’t really make much of a difference anymore. Although because it was so late in the series I’d say he should have still kept things to himself.

Meanwhile the trauma means that he isn’t able to hear his own notes while playing the piano. This is a pretty tough trial. Even when you know the right keys, if you can’t hear what amount of pressure you’re putting on them, you’re bound to mess up at some point. So it did make sense that he was struggling a whole lot even as a prodigy. That’s not really something you can simply play through and so destroying the source of trauma was his only chance. We get that in a fairly literal way as he plays harder and harder and learns to move past his old history.

The series tries to massage his mother’s character near the end but it was too late for that. During the series we see how she was flat out abusive to him. She would beat him until he bled, isolated him from all other kids, etc. Even though we see that it was to make him stronger and all, that’s just not a valid excuse or even closer to one. It would be difficult to think of any excuse that would make it okay to be hitting a child like that. It makes sense that he was so traumatized and while forgiving her and moving on is a heroic thing to do, it’s not going to be making me any more sympathetic as the reader. The Mom messed up in her job of raising Kousei.

The series definitely doesn’t give nearly as much screen time to his friend Watari. Watari is always around and has his moments but at the same time he doesn’t undergo any major character arcs. His ending shows that the guy does care to an extent but the fact that he is constantly flirting with every girl is still a bad look for him. You can’t really root for any of his romances when he’s always so flaky. He does do his best to encourage Kousei at every turn though. He never really gets upset and is there for the lead whenever possible. So while he is probably not a good romantic partner, at least he does serve as a good friend. Watari works hard to give Kousei the push he needs near the end. Considering that Watari didn’t even get to win the big soccer game, you could say that things never went very well for him here.

Tsubaki is the main heroine in a sense. Kaori is way more pivotal to the story itself but Tsubaki gets several chapters to herself and we get to see her pov different times. She’s a character who is at a cross roads because she wants everything to stay the same but of course that’s not really possible in any setting. Then at the same time she also likes Kousei but is unsure of how to actually tell him this. She stays in denial for a very long time and even by the end she never really makes a move. So that keeps her from really being a strong character.

She’s a nice friend and all but it makes sense why Kousei wouldn’t pick up on any signs of her liking him. She just didn’t make it easy at all and was just being her same ole self. Yes, she finally does have a big moment near the end of the series but by then it’s simply too late for her. I would say Tsubaki completely missed her window because by the end of the series she will never know if she could ever be anything more than a rebound. That’s assuming she even gets a romance in the future at all. I’m all for thinking your feelings through before making a move but that should take a day, not several months. Ah well, at least either way she always gets to hold onto her memories of really supporting Kousei no matter what.

I had some good respect for her first boyfriend as a result. It became pretty apparent to him early on that Tsubaki wasn’t all that interested and so he broke up with her in the nicest way possible. He was a real gentleman about the whole thing and he knows that you can never settle for second place. So since he wasn’t needed, the guy ended up moving on without having anybody lose dignity or have to get embarrassed in the process.

As for Kaori, she’s definitely a standout character in the series. She’s always really cheerful and outgoing. She easily gets Kousei out of his shell and keeps on pushing. Without her, the other characters wouldn’t have been able to move forward. She can often be a troll and likes to mess with Kousei. I liked how she would call him friend A. That was a fun nickname. As the series goes on we do get to see some cracks in her cheerful armor which makes sense. Nobody is happy all of the time, everyone has their own struggles and it’s why you can always be impressed by someone who seems chronically happy. They are able to put up the front, whether for others or even for themselves and just have a good time in the moment.

I always tend to like these characters. They’re like walking Martyr complexes who are determined to make the world a better place even at their own expense. Yes, she has some rough moments like when she jokes to someone about committing suicide. That was a low moment for her both as a character but also literally since she was finding it harder to stay alive. Her path is definitely the thorniest one and definitely didn’t go the way you’d hope. She is the heart of the series though so without her things would be tougher.

Kashiwagi is a fairly minor character but she was always trying to help push Tsubaki to make a move. Without her Tsubaki would really have been dragging her feet even more. She just wasn’t a very proactive character. The fact that Kashiwagi knew more about music than she did was quite telling. That said, I think she works best as a side character and it’s probably good that they didn’t try to give her a major plot or anything. Not everyone needs to be in the spotlight like that.

Then we have Nagi who shows up fairly late in the game. She wants to ruin Kousei but that goal falls through early on. She’s an interesting character but her character arc goes a bit quickly. In a way she mirrors how Kousei used to be with how easily she gets frightened. Nagi means well and she beats the average kid but her role does feel the most superfluous. You could remove her from the series and I don’t think a whole lot would change.

An example of a character who is much worse is Toshiya. This kid is annoying not because he didn’t want to switch seats with Kousei but because the guy was whining a whole lot when he first appeared. Then later on he becomes a fan of the lead but is too scared to say anything. Yeah he’s definitely got a ways to go. You have to be able to defend your positions with poise and confidence. If you always have to hide then something is not right. He is just a kid so he’ll probably get better, but he’s definitely not at that point yet.

Meanwhile Kousei’s coach Hiroko is a solid character. She takes a tough approach with him without being abusive so you can always appreciate that. She has a lot of personality and is a fun character all the way through. I definitely enjoyed her and she adds a lot to the dynamic. Without her, Kousei would have really been in a lot of trouble. Then we have the lead’s two main rivals Emi and Takeshi. Emi is one of those rivals who secretly likes him so that adds some drama to the mix. She’s at her best when he’s around and does great in the competitions but apparently she gets sloppy otherwise.

Emi is the definition of a high maintenance star. If conditions are perfect then she will excel but otherwise she will falter. It’s really as simple as that. She’s a fun character since I always like competition but it’s fair to say that Takeshi gets more of a role. Without Kousei for all those years, Takeshi quickly rose to being the best musician on the block. The only reason he is still in Japan is because he has always wanted one more rematch. So he gets that and even gets a really grand final song. He gets a whole lot of credit throughout the series and I think he has the most full songs aside from the main character. He’s a very well rounded character so I was glad to have him around.

There are a few more characters like the other coaches but that’s about it for the regulars. The series gives everyone some time to shine and while it is more of a drama than a comedy, it has its share of light hearted scenes as well. The series is probably at its best with the long piano performances as the series goes all in on making them really emotional. We get a lot of internal dialogue to go along with the lyrics and we see how everyone really gets caught up in the experience. You definitely do have to enjoy the performances though because otherwise they do go on for a long while and you may get bored.

The writing is enough to keep you interested though. That’s why it’s a shame that the ending basically throws this all away. It could have been worse for sure and the series tried its best to handle the ending as tactfully as possible but it still takes major points. The series even includes an animal death near the end in what has to be one of the most unnecessary moments in the series. That was just crazy.

Skip these next two paragraphs which will have spoilers for the ending. This way you can still be surprised when you read the series. All right so here we go. Kaori decides to take the surgery after Kousei inspires her to fight to the end. Unfortunately she dies during the surgery and so now Kousei’s going to go through the feeling of loss all over again. Even more so since he is the one who really pressured her to take the surgery. Yes, she was going to die either way but that level of pressure will absolutely haunt him. The manga has Tsubaki show up to try and comfort him, she still hopes to be his girlfriend but it’s hard to see the guy ever opening up again.

Kaori also prepared him a letter for after death explaining that she was always in love with him and just pretended to love Watari. While that’s her way of trying to finally come clean and make things easy, it will only make things harder on Kousei as he wonders why he didn’t notice. The manga tries to prevent this as more of a bittersweet ending but it really feels like a terribly sad ending all the way. There’s just no way around it, you can’t have the heroine die at the end. After all the themes of fighting hard and not giving up, for it to all be in vain like that is a terrible message. Then having a cat die slightly earlier just so Kousei could have another person that he couldn’t save in time. The whole thing was way too mean spirited and definitely dropped some points. I would have definitely kept her alive and also not done the twist about the letter. Yes, the letter makes things better on why she was so friendly with him the whole time but him just being friend A would have still been satisfactory.

The art for the series is solid enough. I don’t think it’s really my kind of style but it’s never unclear or anything like that. Maybe it can seem a bit un detailed at times or it’s the way the characters move. That said, it’s still clear enough to be sure and I had no real issues with it. It lands the emotional parts as needed and you can easily be binging the series. The artwork definitely fulfills its purpose there.

Overall, A Lie in April definitely lives up to the title. The lie makes sense by the end and you also feel lied to if you were expecting a certain ending. The series goes well for most of its run, but as they say the ending is the most important part of any title. If you don’t stick the landing then it’ll hurt. It’s a bit debatable as a bad ending can hurt almost as bad but i might agree that the last impression will overtake the first. There would definitely be no incentive to re read this one either unless you choose one of the volumes to end at. Making your own fake ending in a sense but of course that’s still fake so it’s sort of stretching disbelief. After al, you know that the series isn’t really over. For that reason I would say to go read Nisekoi instead for a very wholesome adventure.

Overall 4/10

Komi Can’t Communicate Review

Posted on March 9, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time to look at a series that lasted quite a while. I think just about anyone would be impressed at Komi’s final chapter count even if it was a little slick by having some chapters be only 3 pages each to it could release 3 at once. The overall page count would end up being quite low next to the chapters compared to other titles. Still it was quite the ride. I don’t think it ended up matching the average romance series for several reasons that I will get into but you definitely can’t deny that the series got rather popular for a while there.

The series revolves around a lady named Komi. She is a top student and considered by many to be the most beautiful girl at the school. What none of them realize is that she is incredibly shy to the point where she can’t really say a single word to anybody. There are always a lot of wild reasons for how people don’t realize this and she has a very strong aura that the characters always interpret as Komi being really cool. Well one day a boy named Tadano shows up and he’s as average as can be. Nothing about him stands out. He’s basically the most normal guy ever and he isn’t afraid to walk up to Komi and strike up a conversation. He becomes her first friend and now Komi has a plan to make 100 friends before she graduates. She will confront of social fears head on. Will she manage to make 100 friends in this time frame though?

Obviously making 100 friends is tough. Not even just tough, it’s near impossible when you think about it. Most people only make a few friends in their lifetime, making 100 would make you wonder how loose the person’s definition of a friend is. Typically speaking a friend would be something more than simply a co-worker or acquaintance. A friend is someone you hang out with and chat or do fun activities with. If you consider a friend to just be someone that you get along with then that’s a different story. Now you can throw most of this away within the context of a show since here you can have a lot of friends but it does show what a steep goal Komi has set up for herself. It also means that the series is going to have to introduce a bunch of characters. It certainly does meet that challenge but a lot of the characters don’t get much to do. Effectively each character is generally one trait that becomes the character. Only the main ones are immune to this. I can’t think of any other realistic ways to make 100 characters here without the series being 100 volumes or something like that.

So Komi did its best on this but it does serve as one of the series’ weak points. I would argue that its cast is quite a bit weaker than the average title’s. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of most of the characters. I like a small handful but even then I wouldn’t say that any character here is great. It means I’m going to be a little less invested in what’s going on compared to another series. If a new chapter came out for this series vs any other ongoing title I was reading, this one would typically be in last. Quite a few of the quirky characters end up being more disturbing or creepy than funny.

The series also goes for more of a drama feel than comedy I’d say. Now I’m not sure if this is technically correct but the series rarely feels all that funny. If i is trying to be a comedy then it’s not really succeeding. I see it more as a slice of life drama that has a lot of romantic plots going on in the background. Usually these titles won’t work quite as well though because I just prefer to be laughing and having a good time throughout. The more a series is cheery and having fun, the more it all works out for me.

That also brings me to the art which I would say is more on the sub par side. It’s definitely not holding its own next to the average title. The artist seems to be going for a realistic feel at times that doesn’t translate over very well. It’s a good attempt to be sure but it’s just not working. It can take away from the serious scenes and such. At least it does help mitigate the fanservice though. In general I’d say that the series doesn’t have too much fanservice but it does creep in there from time to time.

You also have several characters who are creeps the whole time and always trying to mess with Komi. For the most part the guys in the series come across as super desperate. The craziest one is a girl though which is a nice twist of fate but of course she only serves to hurt the series so it’s not like the title gains any standing there. At the end of the day you’re not going to be super impressed with the writing and the extremely short chapters can hurt the plot’s progression. That being said, lets take a look at the characters more in depth. I won’t go into all 100 friends as a lot of them don’t really do much but we’ll at least talk about the big ones.

So first up we have Komi of course and she isn’t bad. Now she’s not my kind of character because of how quiet and subdued she is the whole time. I generally prefer when characters are more tough and outgoing. It just works as a better dynamic. Even as Komi improves in this regard by the end of the series, she never quite hits her stride. It is nice to see her open up more and actually talk though. It takes a while for her to defeat her timid nature but it is an absolute victory and that’s something to be proud of. Some people aren’t able to overcome their fears like this.

Komi also does well in not letting Tadano go to one of the other girls although I do think she was a bit too timid when Manbagi was involved for a while there. Fighting over a guy is usually not a great thing to have to do but in this case if she actually wants him then she shouldn’t have encouraged Manbagi at all. The big three-way romance was a large part of the series and in many ways the peak of the title. It was very interesting throughout so I appreciated that even if I was rooting for Manbagi a lot more than Komi.

At the end of the day, Komi confronted her fears and accomplished her goals. She may not have been a particularly interesting main character but she wasn’t a bad one. As for Tadano, being normal and uninteresting is his whole gimmick so it works in an ironic sort of sense. I can’t say I’m a big fan of his either though. He’s okay, nothing particularly wrong with him but the author goes in so hard on the average gimmick that there is no time for him to really break out as a character.

The most interesting part of his character was ultimately the brief relationship with Manbagi. Initially he basically says yes because nobody’s asked him out before and then he was torn on how he should feel. It felt like a pretty realistic storyline because if a girl suddenly asks you out, it might be easy to say yes on the spot. You’re not sure why you would say no and if you’ve never been in a relationship before then it might be a good idea. He ultimately breaks it off after thinking the whole thing through more which was pretty devastating for Manbagi but better sooner than later.

It’s probably the saddest part of the whole series to be honest as the drama was at an all time high there. The series never managed to match this energy later on to the point where the author was basically forced to recycle the plot with a different character for more drama. Manbagi is also forced to rebound with a sports player and that was a plot that wasn’t all that interesting. Still you always knew Tadano would end up with Komi so you shouldn’t let yourself get too ruffled by the ending. You just know that a breakup will always hurt somebody once it happens.

Then there is Najimi who is always an interesting figure in the series. For starters we don’t know if Najimi is a girl or a boy since the character dodges the question every time. It definitely underscores how much of a troll Najimi can be which is pretty fun. Tadano was lucky to have this friend from the start who was always good at breaking the ice. As the series goes on Najimi gets less of a role but that character has so many friends that it seems intentional. In a way Najimi was looking out for Komi and Tadano and once they were totally good, Najimi was able to help everyone else. That’s how I interpret it all at least.

As the series goes on, Komi’s brother Shousuke also gets a bigger role. He’s rather quiet like Komi but not because he’s super timid. He just doesn’t have anything to say and so one girl in his class is always trying to get him to talk and smile. These chapters were pretty fun and I dare say they had a much better dynamic than Komi and Tadano. That could also just be because the storylines were rare though. Small does of something can be really misleading since I might be singing a different tune if it was reversed.

Komi’s whole family is fun though. Her father is also pretty awkward socially and his attempts to bond with Tadano usually get rather rocky. Fortunately Tadano is great at reading people which works out. Then you have Komi’s mother Shuuko who loves gossip and feeling young again. She’s super extroverted and can make anyone feel at home right away. She was a really nice character and it’s always good to have someone who can break the ice.

As for the main rival Manbagi, well I already went into most of her plot earlier. What I like about her is that she is very outgoing and goes for what she wants. She liked Tadano and so she worked up the courage to ask him out. Even when she was really scared and knew it was a longshot, she took the shot. That’s more guts than 99% of the case in this series who all hide behind their personas and issues. That’s why you feel bad for Manbagi because from the start you knew that she was doomed. Sure the author throws her a bone by introducing a new character but that’s still more of a backup pick. It feels like a desperate consolation. Also she gets a new design after the rejection that wasn’t nearly as good so pair that with her reduced screentime and it was a rough finish for her.

We can’t forget about Yamai who was the most unhinged character in the series. She literally kidnaps Tadano at one point and threatens to kidnap him. She attempts to drug Komi multiple times and is always acting perverted. The biggest problem with Yamai is that this is generally played for laughs but it’s taken to such uncomfortable extremes that there is no humor to be had here. You’re actually hoping the characters will properly call her out on this but it just doesn’t happen. Sure Komi might tell her to cut it out but then Yamai is back to her tricks the next day. Definitely a bad character that absolutely holds the series back.

Then we have Hitomi who is Tadano’s little sister. She’s a lot of fun in the subplot as she messes with Komi’s brother. Hitomi has more character to her than Tadano does which helps her scenes work well. I would say she comes the closest to being a true comedic character in the series as well. Her scenes work really well and it’s just always fun to see her in action.

Katai is one of the relatively few male characters with a role here. He ends up being a good friend to Tadano despite all of the numerous misunderstandings that happen throughout the series. He looks really tough but ends up being a good guy during the series. He’s easy to root for because he’s always doing his best no matter what. He’s just socially awkward in his own way, much like the rest of the characters in the series.

Shiroki is a really minor character but she gets a shout-out for being a good friend to Manbagi. She really looked out for the girl and did her best throughout. It’s just nice to get to see another friend group in action outside of the main characters. Kiyoko is one of the weaker friends. She is very serious and has a hard time sharing her feelings. By the end of the series she lightens up a little bit but as far as character gimmicks go her was one of the less interesting ones.

Inaka is your classic country girl. She always overestimates how much people think about that though to the point where she is really sensitive on that area. I suppose it’s easier said than done to ignore that though. It’s something that she eventually makes peace with though. Not a bad character once she has her confidence back. Hafuru is one of the more absurd characters since he always has a baby pacifier in his mouth. He’s just too far gone to root for at this point. When you’re putting in a pacifier like that, there’s just no going back. It’s also not really a gimmick that you can do a lot with so it gets repetitive very quickly.

Kaede and Agari are fairly similar although Kaede is definitely a little more outgoing. They’re both fairly nice and quiet as they help Komi out. Nice characters to be sure but they could stand to be a little more aggressive to really stand out here. That would give them a nice boost to really get ahead. It’s better than a negative gimmick which is what Shibuki has to deal with. Basically she sweats a whole lot. No matter what she does, the sweat just keeps on coming. I can definitely sympathize with that since sweating is no fun. Particularly if you’re the only one sweating and everyone else is feeling real cold or normal.

She has a huge complex about that and it’s probably the most realistic form of social anxiety in the series. So you definitely feel bad for Shibuki and she is easy to root for throughout the series. She ends up being paired with Naruse who tends to be very self absorbed. He thinks that everyone loves him even when they aren’t thinking about him at all. Beneath this shell he’s quiet nice though and does look out for hi fellow classmates. His role within the series is definitely a solid one especially once he is able to talk genuinely.

Nakanaka is another fun character. She has fun with the occult and is great at video games so how do you beat that combo? She is a bit on the weird side which is why she doesn’t have many friends but I think if she put in more of an effort she would have a lot of them. She’s just a very nice character who is easy to get along with and also gets very competitive. Likewise Netsuno is also very competitive and gets to fight a lot. She is often outgunned but it’s the thought that counts. These are the characters who are fun to have around since they really push the others forward.

Rei is a fun little character as one of the only relevant kids. She ends up bonding with Komi fairly quick. It’s too bad that she ended up missing out on most of the series because I thought she was rather fun and added a different dynamic than most of the other characters. Emoyama is someone whose gimmick didn’t work all that well though. She basically just uses the word “emo” a lot and her chapters tended to be complete snoozefests. You would just wait for her to leave because she just didn’t really add much to the series.

Then you’ve got all the guys in the delusions group where they imagine dating the various heroines. Those chapters are as painful as they sound and I wish these guys didn’t have to get so much screentime. It’s completely undeserved and I would have liked for Tadano to properly scold them a bit more. He shouldn’t even play along and stay in the discussion, as soon as the topic changes to that he should be out there. You don’t want to even be complicit in that whole thing, all it does is destroy your reputation.

I’d say that’s a good amount of characters to get into. Naturally there are a bunch of others involved like Komi’s final rival who was in love with Tadano and advocated for a threeway wedding. Another example of when Komi and Tadano should have had a harder stance because this girl absolutely doesn’t listen to the word no. Sometimes these quirky personalities just shouldn’t be tolerated but that’s just my two cents. Tadano and Komi have a strong bond but there’s no point in letting others try and test that.

Overall, Komi Can’t Communicate is definitely a series that had a massive cast and a ton of chapters but it is held back by those very same characters. Without comedy or a stronger main romance to root for, there is little replay value to be had here. So the series is not bad by any means but I also can’t see myself ever going back to read it again. It’s just not that kind of series and so that’s why I would put it in the middle. If you think the premise sounds good then you should check it out but it’s not about to wow you or anything like that.

Overall 5/10

Punch-Drunk Love Review

Posted on February 25, 2025 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

The film introduces us to Barry who has a reasonable job and his life is stable but the guy has nobody to really share it with. He has 7 sisters who are super talkative and outgoing but they are a little too much for him. The guys at work seem okay but you could still say that he doesn’t really have any friends. Well one day a lady shows up who likes him but Barry had been impatient and dialed one of those unethical phone numbers to have an intimate talk with a random person. That was a big mistake as she is now blackmailing him and wants a ton of money or he will be exposed. If this wasn’t bad enough, she has a gang going after him. Can Barry get his life in working order or is it all over for him?

One thing that will stand out right away is how good the main theme is. It’s really catchy and helps the scene to stand out more with the fast paced dialogue. It’s quite fitting and usually music is an area that films have a lot of trouble with so I was definitely glad to see this. The theme plays quite a few times and never gets old. While the movie itself may not be a big hit, at least it does give you something really catchy to remember it by. Other films wish they could pull that off.

Meanwhile the crazy nature of the film is also nice. Little things here and there won’t always make sense as the film intentionally tries to catch your attention with small details. Whether it is characters doing crazy things in the background, the nature of Barry’s business, etc. The whole film thrives on being very weird. It is definitely very successful on that front although I dare say the film could have stood to take itself a little less seriously and then it could have really capitalized on the weirdness.

Naturally the romance is going to be one of the weak links here. On one hand the weakness is part of how weird the whole thing is with the main heroine being rather desperate for Barry for some reason. It’s a very lucky occurrence for Barry so you almost want to root for him but of course turning to the phone number first was a massive mistake. No real way to save him at that point and either way the romance itself would have been way too rushed.

Barry deals with a lot over the course of the film but in a way it doesn’t feel like he really solves the core issues. He may have shut down the villain group that was after him but he still has the crazy 7 sisters who will keep on messing with him and you can bet that this relationship is going to get complicated for him as well. Hopefully he is just able to handle the situation really well but the ending doesn’t ring quite as positively as intended. The best way for Barry to handle this would just be to not take things so seriously. The sisters really like talking so you just let them keep on talking but you don’t really engage with the points unless directly asked. Then from there know that it’s such an info overload that most of the info itself will be lost in the shuffle.

Most of the 7 sisters don’t get to do much but we do get one family scene where you can at least see what the chaos is like. The main one who was trying to set Barry up with a girlfriend in the first place gets the biggest role. She seems nice enough but has no real concept of boundaries or privacy. She will just say whatever she is thinking which can really put Barry in a tough spot at times.

Then with the heroine Lena, you’re sort of waiting for a big twist to happen the whole time but in the end nothing really pops up. I guess you could say she’s just a nice person without any big agendas at play which is cool to see. Romance aside she seemed like a nice person who wasn’t too quick to judge Barry based on second hand information and actually got to know him. She was also fairly clever like with her original car plan. I suppose that could count as a bit of a twist.

The villains here aren’t the most intense ones you’ll meet. They talk tough at first but quickly begin to meet their match. I did like the added sense of danger here though. They really forced Barry to quickly consider the situation and see what he would do next. He was ready during the final confrontation which was a pretty good scene. It beat the actual last meeting scene which was definitely on the anti climactic side. I was expecting a bit more than that even though this is not an action film.

As far as the tone goes, I would still call this part comedy to an extent but it’s definitely not going for a goofy vibe. Funny things happen every now and again but there are also some serious undertones occurring throughout. The movie manages the balance pretty well and I’d say this one could have been better with just getting rid of the phone plot. I’d have had Barry get scammed in a different way that would have made him a little more sympathetic instead. Also the second half is played a bit too linearly compared to the first half. I’d have thrown in some more wrinkles and twists to keep it from being too standard.

Overall, Punch-Drunk Love is a decent film. I’d say it was a bit better than I was expecting. I think I was expecting the film to be a little too try hard in how serious it would get but instead this film found a really good balance which I can appreciate. If you’re interested in a film that definitely gets weird then you should check this out. The movie’s at its best when its just having a good time messing with you as the viewer. You’ll pick up a ton of little moments in the background that really help to amp up the experience. They could really do a sequel to this one if they ever felt like it but I suppose that’s probably not likely.

Overall 5/10

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Review

Posted on February 25, 2025 by dreager1

It’s time for a western that actually doesn’t have much in the way of gunfights. It’s a very low key film which can be nice as a change of pace but at the same time it gets a little too calm for part of the adventure. There doesn’t seem to be much of a story for a while there until we finally get to the Indiana showing up and causing chaos. For a while there it’s just the characters walking around and counting down the days to retirement. It’s very inoffensive film but one that you’re probably not going to be tempted to re watch. There just isn’t much of an incentive there.

The film starts off with Nathan getting ready for retirement. His final day is arriving this week and he’s definitely ready for it. Nathan has been doing a tremendous job for many years but even the best have an expiration date at some point. Unfortunately it looks like it won’t be a quiet last few days. His boss has the dicey idea of wanting Nathan to guard his wife on the way back. Indians were already spotted on the trail so this is not going to be easy. Then a lady named Olivia will also be on the mission and she has been attracting the attention of two of Nathan’s best officers. This includes the future replacement for Nathan so this new rivalry is not being very productive. Will the platoon be fine without Nathan?

Naturally the romance isn’t particularly good here. Olivia definitely seems to be messing with the guys quite a bit and almost doesn’t seem to care who she will be with. Ultimately she chooses the one with the better future prospects but how strong are her actual feelings? That’s a bit harder to say and it’s why I can’t picture this being a very strong romance. It’s just not going to go over very well in the long term. While Olivia looks bad for being a distraction here, I also have to give a lot of blame to the two officers. When you’re in a serious army position like this you are in charge of the lives of every officer around you.

You can’t suddenly be getting heated into a fist fight when there are external dangers all around. Nathan scolds both officers but it’s a shame that he had to scold them at all. He was clearly disappointed and I don’t blame him. There’s another guy retiring in a few weeks who is a big drunk and while that guy is irresponsible, at least he can fight. We get a fairly lengthy slapstick action scene where he basically takes down an entire division. Now you could also just say that’s anti hype for those guys to all be defeated by one opponent but I do think it’s really meant to show how strong this guy was.

He is really all muscle. So yes with him and Nathan gone the platoon is absolutely finished. I don’t see the soldiers being able to operate at the same high level that they used to be on. Fortunately Nathan did leave things on a good note within the territory so that should buy some time for the army to get stronger and stronger. Then maybe they can win their next confrontation.

But again the biggest problem that the film has is…we don’t really care about the plot. The strife between the Indian factions isn’t super engaging, nor are the action scenes around getting into the camp and staying away. If anything the film may have been better if it just stuck to being a slice of life with Nathan just chatting to people and solving problems. In this version I guess more of the drama would have been around different romance plots and maybe some new subplots.

Or go all the way in the other direction and add in a ton of gunfights. That could have also been a good option here. This is a long film that feels long and that’s usually a problem. The pacing could have definitely been a lot better and we probably needed at least one more standout character. It felt like the main character had to basically hold the series by himself which is really not advisable. You need more characters in general.

Or if you can’t add to the cast, add more scenes for both of the guys that the heroine liked. For the most part their whole character personalities revolve around her rather than doing their own thing. Give them each a subplot of their own. Maybe one of them starts questioning Nathan more and more and actually gets it right a few times. Then the other one is getting to be a better and better shooter and wants to convince the captain to reassign him to a gunner role. Not sure if that was a thing back then but just an example. We need more reasons to care about the story and this would be a good way to do it. Maybe even have the Indians show up earlier and one of them used to work in the army or something. By this point I’m starting to change the entire movie so these are just foods for thought.

Overall, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a film that doesn’t put as much importance on the ribbon as you might expect. This is still Nathan’s story all the way. I do think the title does a good job of preparing you for a lack of action though. If it was called the big battle of the west or something then that would probably have gotten people excited for a bunch of fights only to be disappointed afterwards. The movie takes great care to avoid making any mistakes, it just forgot to really focus on the strengths. Well, like I said you should check this one out if you like a very calm experience. Just expect it to be extremely calm.

Overall 6/10

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) Review

Posted on February 16, 2025 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

Whenever you’ve got a film with the word affair in the title then you know that you might be in trouble. Naturally the word doesn’t have to inherently be bad but it’s usually used in a negative context. The film is basically about someone trying to pull a James Bond and just the concept of that plan is usually funny to me. Still, it does actually work in the real world even so I can’t really talk much about that. Ultimately the film lacks the good characters to make this a success and the romance is particularly weak.

The film starts off with a rare painting being stolen from Thomas Crown’s museum. It was worth tons and the insurance company might have to pay for it. As a result they send in a lady named Catherine to oversee the whole thing. She will make sure that the company does not get ripped off here and she will locate the painting. She believes that Thomas did it himself. It seems a bit unlikely to the cops to put it mildly but she is convinced. So her plan will be to seduce him and then get the information. Will she really be able to reel in a rich guy who has everything so easily?

The first part of the plot that already starts you off on a skeptical note is Catherine’s idea that she can just seduce this guy like it’s easy. I have the same skepticism for many romance type titles and naturally the James Bond films as well. Sure there are some people that are extremely shallow like that but a super rich guy with unlimited options? At least have her break him down after several months or something but he immediately takes the bait hook line and sinker. Now you could argue that it’s just because he wants the thrills of a cat and mouse game but to me it seems like he liked her right away with how sharp her personality is.

Then the rest of the film continues the cat and mouse game while they mess with each other the whole time. There’s a subplot where Thomas has a psychiatrist who confirms how he can’t trust women and all that. Well the film seems to confirm his suspicions as Catherine tries to mess him over several times. If anything the movie seems to make the case for Thomas on why he can’t trust anyone too much. The instant Catherine feels betrayed she tries to completely ruin his life by exposing his theft.

I mean…that was her job the whole time but it’s clear by the end that it’s super personal now. She refuses to listen to him at all and just goes back to her own thing. Then by the end when the misunderstanding it cleared up she is desperate to be with him again. Catherine jus seems incredibly unstable and I don’t see things going well for the two of them. The original film had the much more satisfying ending as a result and I couldn’t stand by this one. The reason is because I wasn’t a big fan of the romance in general despite how much the film tried to present it as a decent one.

I do like the whole enemies to lovers trope when handled right but this one didn’t convince me. As much as I was going on about Catherine not being the most reliable or trust worthy, the same is true for Thomas of course. The whole film is happening because he was bored and wanted a thrill after all. You better hope he doesn’t get bored of romance either since he seemed like a real player back in his day. That is definitely one of the big downsides of being super rich. It’s a bit of a meme as everybody would usually like to be rich anyway but I can see how life can get dull if you don’t find anything to give you purpose.

Also to make the romance even worse, we have the head cop in charge of the case, Michael. This guy is absolutely desperate for Catherine from his very first scene and it’s obvious that she is not into him at all. She gives him a pity kiss later but I wish the guy had been a little bolder and just created some distance after the first attempts failed. Lets keep this professional right? This film is the definition of unprofessional as nobody was able to really keep to the job but it’s probably the worst for Michael. Catherine at least had the excuse of this being part of her plan and Thomas was using this as a way to gauge Catherine but Michael should have at least been objective.

Now in terms of the heist itself, it does stretch your disbelief at times. I find it hard to believe that nobody noticed the CEO sliding under the door to steal the painting early on. The film’s excuse for this would be how crowded things were and to an extent I get that but it’s still a bit of a stretch. Likewise when the painting was returned later on. The ole switcheroo was pretty clever though and I didn’t really have any problems with that one. I did enjoy all the “magic” and planning even if the resources and time to pull that off are also tricky. Thomas obviously has the money but finding enough people willing to take a fall and potential jail time? With enough money you can pretty much do anything but you can also count on at least one guy to get cold feet and go to the cops.

I’m not really an artistic person myself so I always wonder how paintings can really go for millions of dollars. I’d sooner buy into the conspiracy that the whole art market is just a front for money laundering than actually thinking someone would value the piece so highly. Talent is talent and some people are truly gifted at it but millions for any piece of art seems absolutely crazy. I’m also not particularly entertained by walking around a museum to look at paintings. That seems like the kind of thing you would endure for good company.

So the main appeal of the movie is about the heist and the cat and mouse games. That is when the movie is at its best but the rough romance really holds it back. There’s just no way this will work out and the romance is more of a show over tell kind of experience. So not only was I not convinced but the movie spends a lot of time on the romance only for me to still be shaking my head the whole time.

Overall, I would still skip on this film. It’s an improvement over the first film but it’s still not a winner yet. At this point I think we need a live action version of Sly Cooper. That’s a film with a similar premise but 1000x cooler. You will still have the cat and mouse banter with the detective trying to catch the thief but it’s played in a much more interesting way. Until that movie comes out, I recommend playing through the games and you will quickly see why the Thomas Crown affair can’t quite compete.

Overall 4/10

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The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Review

My Happy Marriage Season 2 Review

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Plainsong Review

Your Lie in April Review

Your Lie in April Review

Komi Can’t Communicate Review

Punch-Drunk Love Review

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Review

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) Review

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