Tag Archives: Slice of Life

Robot Dreams Review

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It’s time for a largely wholesome film although the ending isn’t the most satisfying. We get to see a whole lot of New York City which can really be the highlight of the film even more than the story. There was a lot of good attention to detail here which allows you to feel nostalgic the whole time as the adventure plays through.

The movie starts by introducing us to a lonely dog who doesn’t really have any friends. This dog does his best to live on as he eats his macaroni and cheese but then one day decides to order himself a friend. He buys and assembles a robot who does end up being a great friend but unfortunately the Dog leaves him on a beach where he is deactivated. The Dog must now make it many months on his own before he can get back onto the beach and fix his friend. Will his friend still be there when the dog comes back though?

The dog is a good example of a main character who needs to find his own internal happiness before he can be truly happy. The guy just doesn’t know how to have a good time on his own and so that’s why he is really relying on the robot the whole time. This is tricky because when you are that reliant on another person then you stop improving yourself. Before finding a friend or even a romantic partner, you need to have a full life that you can keep satisfied on your own. This means having some hobbies and such so when your friend is hanging out with another friend group or just doing something on their own, you’re not just sitting around bored.

Dog does try a few times to find things to do but they never quite work out. He tries going fishing with someone but they don’t seem to connect all that much. At the same time, he did get a post card so maybe they would have been friends for longer. Going on the snow adventure didn’t work out either and so in the end he basically has to be by himself again. I would argue that the dog didn’t really get any character development throughout the movie. In fact, in a sense he didn’t move forward at all so his happiness is still short lived. Hopefully he is more careful this time. The film makes a point of showing how he could have worked harder to get to the robot since everyone else did.

Dog is a nice guy, but perhaps not very reliable. Meanwhile the robot gets the short end of the stick for most of the film but I would argue the happier ending. The robot always did a good job of looking at things positively so he will thrive in any environment. Additionally even his dreams were pretty fun. I disagreed with his final decision though since constantly having to be hiding could get old fast. You always need to face your fears, or in this case just face whatever is in front of you. It’s really the best way to go and just get it over with.

His new owner definitely seems like a good guy so I was glad things worked out for him too. He seems to be trying hard and doing what he can as well. So while the ending wasn’t satisfying for me due to the final choices, at least it didn’t go the crazy option like making it one last dream. The dreams were fun enough but that would have definitely been overdoing it a bit.

As I mentioned before though, the best part of the film is really the NYC backdrop. There are just so many fun elements to the city and the film really captures down all the right details. It’s nice seeing the various parks, the foods, and everything else. You can tell that the creators either got to visit New York City at some point or did an impressive amount of research because it all felt very authentic. It’s why even aside from the story you could watch it just for the backgrounds and little details that appear throughout.

The animation style is pretty nice here. It’s simple but effective. It’s always easy to follow what’s happening in the movie. There is even a pretty decent soundtrack with a number of songs and instrumental themes. They worked well in showing how much fun the city was during the montages. I also liked the way the robot would hum one of the tunes. There isn’t any real dialogue in this film which I do tend to miss but at least the film still managed to be very entertaining the whole time. The characters were able to clearly show what they were doing and thinking even without the dialogue.

Would dialogue have helped the film? Absolutely but at the end of the day when you can make a film that’s still good without any dialogue, then that’s a pretty impressive feat. It’s definitely not something that just anyone can do. I imagine a whole lot of people have probably tried and absolutely failed to pull it off. The stakes are also high because if you fail, the most likely outcome is that the film will be incredibly boring which can really hurt. So make sure you have an air tight premise and fun characters before even thinking of attempting this.

Overall, Robot Dreams is definitely an accurate title for this film with all of the dreams going on. At first it might even trick you if you forgot what the title was. The movie goes by fast and it tells a nice story. I would recommend checking it out. It’s a reminder of how even the most fun activities can seem boring if you haven’t learned how to do them on your own yet. In this case the focus was really on making friends which for Dog seems like a temporary solution while for Robot it seems like he will be good long term. NYC is definitely filled with never ending adventures if you know where to look.

Overall 7/10

The Shell Seekers Review

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It’s time for a film about the horrors of growing older. You slowly realize that your time in this world is coming to an end and people start showing their true colors. It’s tough because at this point you just have to either roll with it or go for confrontations even at the end. In a way the film comes off as being a little depressing and I also thought that the main character was too much of a pushover. I was hoping she would be more aggressive here.

The film starts off by introducing us to the main character who lets herself out of the hospital because she really doesn’t like the environment. She does not want to feel like an invalid and wants to enjoy the last years of her life as much as possible. Yes, she had a heart attack but otherwise she feels just fine. Unfortunately she quickly realizes that the family thinks of her as a burden so she heads off to be with the one relative who always had her back. Unfortunately the others are still hot on her trail because they want money!

Okay so the first thing here is that you don’t have to put someone in your will just because they are family. I would say having them there by default makes sense but if it’s clear that they only want the money and don’t care about you then that’s something that has to be on the table. At one point two of her kids try stealing some rare drawings behind her back and the old lady still doesn’t change anything. By the end of the film she still has these ungrateful kids in her will which is crazy. It’s just not a smart move. I give her some credit for giving away the paintings just to spite the kids but she could have taken things a bit farther.

None of the characters here seem to make the best decisions though. One of her daughters was in a happy enough relationship but decides to toss it all aside for a big job to advance her career. I suppose it all comes down to knowing where your priorities are. If the job is really her top priority then that’s fine but I definitely don’t want to hear any excuses about it later on. The grass is always greener which is why you should not be making any rash decisions without thinking them all the way through first. That will always lead to disaster.

Also back to the heroine again, at one point she confronts her aunt and gets absolutely bodied in their debate. She lets herself get cut off numerous times and is constantly on the back foot. I think it can be tough when you’re in the middle of a debate like that but you have to establish that you are correct right from the jump. That is the first step to getting everything to work out if you ask me.

The film isn’t overly interested in redeeming the other characters and that’s a good thing. It would have probably been more on the cheesy side if any of them had a sudden change of heart. It didn’t seem like these characters would be doing anything like that anyway. So with the whole movie showing how unlikable they all were, it did mean that this film would drag on a great deal. If the heroine was calling them out the whole time that would be one thing but with the way that the film plays out, it just ends up being annoying.

Even near the end the main heroine interrupts a fight to just put herself in the wrong again which made me roll my eyes. It’s good to be a peacemaker but sometimes you can absolutely take that way too far and this was definitely one of those times. The film could have stood to have been a little happier throughout as well. To me it felt more like a cautionary tale about being careful when you’re older. Knowing who your real friends are and weeding out the fake ones. I still think it was absolutely beyond the pale to be rummaging through her attic trying to sell stuff away. That was crazy.

There is also a romance plot going on between the gardener and one of the girls and it is pretty brutal stuff. So from the start he is very cold and not talkative. He doesn’t show any real interest in her and brushes off all attempts at communication. Well, she decides to go with him anyway and then almost immediately starts to get upset at how cold and quiet he is. The whole point is that he was like that from the start so I thought that was extremely unreasonable. It would be one thing if he suddenly changed drastically after talking to her but he didn’t change at all so that was really crazy. Definitely a really bad look for her if you ask me so I was already checked out of that plot early on.

This film didn’t even need a romance plot. When your main character is old, you should be focusing on the unique trials relating to that main plot. Squeezing in a romance plot just because you can is absolutely crazy stuff. I was certainly surprised by it at the very least but not in a good way. Okay most of this was negative so at least one positive I can say about the film is that the scenery was good. The movie just needed to be happier and offer a little more hope for the heroine. Maybe add in some more likable family members somewhere or just make her really tough so the whole time she is fighting them off and we get a moment of introspection like maybe she went wrong at some point. At this point we’re talking about a completely different movie though.

Overall, The Shell Seekers was not really my kind of film. It could be too slow at times and the characters were all way too annoying. There wasn’t really anyone to root for. The writing was okay but the romance was weak and so ultimately that really limited the film’s overall potential. There was just no coming back from all of that and so I would say to give this one a skip.

Overall 4/10

Paper Moon Review

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It’s time for a film about a bad influence trying to shake a kid that may or may not be his responsibility. Along the way there are a lot of comedic shenanigans and while the film is decent, I do think it could have been a lot better. It makes some story decisions that don’t seem to make a lot of sense to me but I suppose in that way you can say that I didn’t really predict what direction the story would go in.

The movie starts with a funeral occurring and a guy named Moses decides to take a look. He’s a bit of a travelling evangelist or that’s what he would have them think. In fact, he is a con artist who goes around finding anyone with a recently deceased family member and trying to force them into buying a Bible. He guilts them by making it seem like the dearly departed had already purchased this for the survivor. It’s a pretty terrible racket so this is clearly the villain in the story but the town asks him to take a little girl named Addie over to her surviving relative. In the meantime, everyone thinks Moses is secretly her father although he denies it. He figures he can drop Addie off almost immediately but she doesn’t want to go and decides to blackmail him. He will now have to incorporate her into the con, but can she really keep up?

At its core this is about a criminal teaching a little girl on how to be a criminal in her day. It’s more than a little unfortunate as he is teaching her how to be a bad person. This film is mainly a comedy so you shouldn’t take it too seriously but I would have still expected him to gradually be teaching her better and better habits as a person. She would become a good member of society or something. No, that doesn’t happen though. Even by the end her moral compass is really warped and she is ready to be a criminal. He doesn’t even stop her from all the smoking she does as a kid which is definitely a bit much. Her lungs are going to really be in poor shape. Those scenes tend to be a little more concerning than funny.

In general I think this film would work better without the kid. If Moses was on his own then you could have fun plotting his downfall and rooting against him the whole time. In this case you still do root against him, but now you feel bad for the kid who will be all alone again if he’s caught. It also shows how irresponsible the guy is to be doing all of this with a kid around. He just really doesn’t care though and even starts driving around a performer named Trixie and her assistant. By this point you sort of hope that Moses isn’t her father.

Okay, at least Moses is street smart and won’t be falling for any old gags right? Well, for some reason he is super naive when it comes to Trixie. Even ignoring her dubious career, why would he not suspect that she is conning him when he’s having to get new cars, treat her to a hotel room, etc. I get being a gentleman but it’s all going so fast and he’s not being introspective at all. Now this is terrible, but I would at least get it if she had pulled the moves on him or something. But none of that happened, she just said some nice things and he was completely under her heel. It took a bit initiative from Addie in order to save him.

This felt really out of character for Moses. So he’s a petty crook who picks on the vulnerable and then he’s not even all that smart? Definitely not a great main character. He got out scammed at his own game and beaten up for his efforts. In a lot of ways you could say that he got what was coming to him and the only reason you feel bad is because of Addie. Meanwhile Addie is getting used to a fast paced life that just isn’t going to be fulfilling long term. She should have just been content going home instead of staying all mixed up in this.

As a result it’s not like you can root for Addie either. Yes, she has a slightly better conscience than Moses as she won’t scam the very poor but she still scams everyone else. She seems to think it’s okay if the victim is rich but naturally that’s still not cool. You shouldn’t be scamming anybody, that’s just not a good thing to do. Ah well, there’s a lot to bash and make fun of with the main characters but the film does succeed at being an enjoyable movie.

The pacing is solid and the humor is good. While you won’t be rooting for the characters, they do hold themselves over well during the scenes themselves. The back and forth banter between them can be fun as well like at the diner. Addie definitely crushed Moses there even though he really tried to fight back. Ultimately she had all the cards in that situation and he really knew it. He was really just trying to bluff her but she was able to see through this and keep him on the back foot. Really impressive tactics all around there.

Overall, Th8is is definitely more of a low key film. It does show that crime doesn’t pay in the end so I appreciated that moral. I think the movie would have been more enjoyable if Moses had decided to gradually become a better person over the course of the film though. Maybe having Addie stop smoking, then slowly start scamming and wanting to work a job that she could be proud of. A gradual character arc like that would have worked really well I think and then given us a reason to actually root for them by the end. Every movie has an infinite amount of what ifs though. At the end of the day the film went its own way and it was still a good title. I’d recommend this to someone looking for a good time or who just wants a pleasant film without too much craziness.

Overall 6/10

The Shaggy Dog (1959) Review

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It’s time for a retro dog film with a good amount of fun cheer to it. The Shaggy Dog is one of those titles that moves at a quick pace and delivers on a fun premise. It even randomly throws in a big climax with high stakes and I hadn’t been expecting that. It’s a very retro experience that knows how to have a good time even if the cast themselves are a bit on the weaker side. Lets just say there aren’t a lot of likable characters here.

The movie starts off with Wilby messing up on another one of his inventions. He’s a kid genius but it does take him a lot of trial and error to get where he wants to go and often his father, Wilson has to clean up after him. Wilson is a nice guy overall except that he can’t stand dogs and even has a PTSD type allergy to them. He intends to shoot them all if they ever get into his house. Well one day they get a rich next door neighbor named Francesca who has a big dog and now this could be trouble. Wilby and his friend Buzz both like her and after a fateful trip to the museum, Wilby ends up with an amulet that turns him into a copy of her dog. How will he end this curse?

The way the magic works is also a little unique here. Ordinarily you would expect the human and dog to change places or something but that’s actually not what happens here. Instead the dog just vanishes from existence temporarily while Wilby slowly transforms into a lookalike. The transformation lasts a while until he turns back but it is difficult to predict when this will happen and for how long. So it’s definitely inconvenient for Wilby and even dangerous since of course Wilson will be shooting on sight.

Of course as a dog, most people don’t pay attention to Wilby which gives him a chance to hear some villainous secrets. So I enjoyed the whole gimmick here as the scenes were pretty fun. Wilby really got to show just how helpful it can be to turn into a dog. I do think he could have done a much better job of convincing everyone that he was actually Wilby though since the film didn’t really place any limitations on him. Wilby can still walk around and talk in human language so automatically you figure it shouldn’t be too hard. Wilby doesn’t try this much until the very end though.

As a character Wilby is okay but definitely a bit of a pushover. He gets taken advantage of by Buzz and is also easy to trick. The museum trip didn’t go well because he let his guard down too quickly and then even in the climax he’s put in the same boat as Buzz instead of being one step ahead. I don’t see the dynamic ever getting a whole lot better for him. Wilby needs to just focus on his inventions and hopefully make a real game changer at some point.

Meanwhile for Buzz, the guy is no real friend. He is always quick to blame Wilby when the lead isn’t around and quickly goes from girl to girl. Buzz is certainly not a serious character and so you really aren’t rooting for the guy. You hope that the girls will know better around him but until they figure out what’s up, it was up to Wilby to mess up the guy’s plans while in his disguise as a dog.

As for Wilson, he was a little too extreme in how he was actually shooting at the dog. Even ignoring the body swap, that means he was willingly shooting at his neighbor’s dog just for getting into the house. It’s just such an extreme response and makes him look really bad. Throughout the film Wilson is always proving himself to be the kind of guy who jumps to conclusions and then at the end he is basically just basking in the glory of something that he only played a small part in.

It all works well enough for some laughs but it doesn’t make the character super likable. Even Francesca looks pretty bad as she is quick to be tricked by Buzz and then even starts to go after Wilby just to make another girl jealous. The fact that she gave away her dog in the end was also absolutely crazy after everything he did for her. A really bizarre way for the film to end if you ask me.

Still, the important thing is that the film is fun like I said. The writing is on point with a really solid script all the way through. The retro writing style really works well for this movie and the pacing is good. I may not say that it’s laugh out loud levels of being funny but it didn’t really have any issues either. The movie never drags and it has plenty of replay value. I also enjoyed the sub plot with the one cop who was going crazy after seeing the dog so many times and then how the government shut down Wilson on suspicion of being a traitor. That was a pretty fun battle even if Wilby’s younger brother sold the dad out there.

Overall, The Shaggy Dog is a pretty good movie. I like the concept of turning into a dog as there are a lot of fun gags you can do with that. Clearly the industry thought so too since this wouldn’t be the last Shaggy Dog film. This may not be the kind of film that you walk away from every year to point out how awesome it was but it is something you could watch at any time. The intense climax also helps with the replay value. I’ll be curious to see if the newer films can really match this one and if they can’t, hopefully they will at least be close.

Overall 7/10

Komi Can’t Communicate Review

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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

Natsume’s Book of Friends Season 7 Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall 6/10

Mr. Holmes Review

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It’s time for a film about Sherlock Holmes when he was really at the end of his life. This means the film would have to tackle the mystery in a very different way since he can’t be running around and actually fighting himself. No instead he has to solve most of the case in his head. It’s a very different approach. Not a particularly effective one mind you. I did miss the usual Sherlock Holmes style this time. The movie ends up being largely uneventful with a very small cast for most of the run.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Sherlock Holmes who is being taken care of by Mrs. Munro and her son Roger. Roger really likes hanging out with Holmes and learning about bees but Munro is a little less amused as the whole thing. She thinks it might be a bit dangerous, not just for Roger but for Holmes too since he might faint and take a hard fall. Her fears are certainly justified here. Well Holmes is trying to figure out what happened in his final case before retirement. For some reason he can’t think of it, maybe he blocked it out? Well, now he can’t rest until he solves the case.

I would say the part that tripped the film up the most was just how far they decided to age up Holmes. He’s not just old but he’s ancient in this movie. He can barely move at all and is basically dying by this point. A single fall can give him numerous bruises and so that severely limits him. He can basically walk around the house but that’s it. So when I say the case is mainly in his head, it’s really quite literal. Even in the flashbacks he looks old to the point where if you forget that you’re watching a flashback you’d think it was happening in real time.

Holmes does get to use his famous observational skills to pick up on different tricks and also solves a bonus case in the final minutes. I was glad he got a win but there’s still something sad about the whole thing. It’s like he knows that his death is imminent and there’s not a whole lot that he can do about it. In general it’s sad to see any character taken to this extreme, especially when they used to be a fighter. It was fun to have Holmes see his film version at the theaters during the movie.

Considering how Holmes blocked off his memory you can bet that the case doesn’t end super well for him. I won’t go into specifics since that’s the whole point of the climax but I don’t feel like Holmes really made any big mistakes. A big theme within the film is that Holmes is a genius but doesn’t understand people all that well. That may be rue but I don’t think another character would have done much differently at this point. Holmes did take care of the immediate threat and it also made sense to reject the advance since he wasn’t going to be getting involves in any kind of illicit affairs. Sure he could have potentially handled the whole thing with a longer speech and being more verbose in general but this is all hindsight.

You never know how a situation will play out and so I think Holmes is being really harsh to himself throughout the film. Meanwhile Munro is probably the most tragic character here because she’s just trying to provide a good life for her son Roger but a rift is forming between them due to how she treats Holmes. She takes a much more cautious approach than the main character which of course paints her as the bad guy to an extent. She makes her share of mistakes like burning letters meant for Holmes. I can’t really defend that but otherwise her top priority is on protecting Roger and so that’s what she focuses on.

As for Roger, he was a good characters. At times there wasn’t a whole lot to his character but he was really eager to help. He had Sherlock’s back at every point even if it meant keeping secrets. He just needed to be a little older and he would have probably done better in the film. As it is, what happens to him in the film would have been hard to avoid for even trained professionals. When you’re in a moment like that it is easy to panic.

The film’s biggest problem is that it can be rather dull for large chunks of the film. The past case just wasn’t as interesting as it could and should have been. Instead of being the part of the film that really wows you, you are waiting to go back to the present again. I liked hearing Holmes explain the situation by the end as the detective speeches are always fun but it just wasn’t a very captivating case. The presentation in the movie was a whole lot more interesting.

Also while it is normal for characters to start crashing out during stressful times, the disagreements go pretty far. At one point one character tells the other that “You should be dead!!” and it’s a comment that is hard to walk back from after all that. Like you probably can’t easily bury the hatchet on that one. It’ll always be in the back of your head because under duress or not, they clearly meant that. At the end of the day Roger may have tried being Holmes’ friend but that’s about it. He had lots of acquaintances but was ultimately all alone. Even the whole raising bees angle felt like it was him being super lonely. It’s not really the kind of hobby that most people dream about getting into. I know I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle that one because I’m not good with bees as it is.

Overall, Mr. Holmes will have to be one of the weakest Sherlock Holmes films. It’s not bad per say but it does feel like the movie didn’t really know where to go for a large portion of it. It’s really not a detective movie first and foremost. It’s more about vibing and enjoying the great outdoors which can be okay but that works more for a film where the main character can actually be running around and trying things out. Here Holmes can plan things out in his head but that’s just not good enough to be exciting. Check this one out if it’s really early and you want to see what it’s like but the slow paced nature of the movie does severely limit the audience. If the film cannot hook you even slightly while it’s early then that’s game over.

Overall 5/10

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Review

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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 Care Bears Movie Review

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Let me tell you something, you don’t want to mess with the Care Bears. The instant I knew I was going to watch a movie about these guys I knew I was in for a big adventure. Their magical abilities are quite formidable and the only reason they don’t win more fights is due to the genre. These films are for kids and about having fun rather than being big action blockbusters. If they were then this would be a whole different ballgame. The film is good old fashioned fun. I won’t say it’s great or anything but I had a good time with it.

The movie starts with the Cherrywoods telling a story to a bunch of kids. Back in the day there were two kids who were really lonely and they had a rough time of things because they were orphans. So the Care Bears decided to step in and get them to have friends. They took the kids on a tour of their world and helped them learn the true meaning of friendship. The problem is that they didn’t reach a kid named Nicholas in time. This kid ends up meeting a mysterious lady who lives in a book. She quickly begins to trick him into learning the dark arts and generally spreading misfortune into the world. He will now stop the world from caring about anything. Can the Care Bears stop him or is it game over?

The Care Bears have a lot of abilities like powerful lasers and high tech gadgets but they are lacking in confidence. For the most part they don’t want to deal the evil spirit directly. So throughout the film you see the Care Bears running around and panicking. They are definitely not the best allies to have on your side since they don’t really inspire any kind of confidence. At one point the two kids have to fend for themselves as Nicholas chases the around because none of the care bears are really doing anything.

Now granted, the world wasn’t in a very caring mood as the care levels went down but you’d still expect the bears to be able to do something. Instead they take a back seat in their own film for a while there. The movie isn’t too concerned about delivering a great story and it’s more about the vibes so lets talk about those. For starters the animation is pretty good. The hand drawn aspect still works pretty well after all these years. The scenes are very smooth and easy to follow. The action scenes that we do get look pretty good too.

The soundtrack is more of a mixed bag. Some of the songs really don’t work at all while some others are okay. Just don’t go in expecting anything too crazy here. As for the script, it’s fine enough. Everyth8ing can be a bit exaggerated but that works well enough. One character even gets a massive plot twist at the end which shows how he has really changed as a character. That was pretty wholesome all things considered. He really came a long way from when he was a kid.

The more I write about the story the more I have to admit it was a bit all over the place. At the same time that is part of the fun I suppose. This movie isn’t even worried about trying to have a huge narrative or telling a complete story. It’s just messing around and having a good time. I also give it points for not even trying to introduce the various care bears beyond their name. You either get the drift of what’s going on or you don’t. It all comes down to that.

I also appreciated the villain being straight up evil and this wasn’t all some kind of misunderstanding. She wants to achieve her ambitions and has no problems manipulating whoever it takes to complete that. That kind of unfeeling villain works well in the Care Bears as a complete foil to everything that the main characters represent. Her design was good and while it would have been nice to have had an explosive finale, I suppose that’s not really what this movie is all about.

The concept of the Care Bears will pretty much always beat the execution but perhaps one day that can change. In the meantime the important thing is that the film is fun and you’ll have a good time. I do wish they would skip the narration at the beginning though with the story book plot device because it does spoil the ending. I know it’s basically a foregone conclusion that things will go well but at the same time you still don’t have to actively show it like that.

Now will this end up making you a huge fan of the Care Bears themselves? Eh, probably not. They still aren’t super good at their jobs and basically get lucky a lot of the time. Considering the crazy amount of technology and super powers that they have, they should have a better handle on things. It’s another reason why the Ponies are higher since they do generally have solid control over the kingdom. They don’t have to rely on humans to bail them out every time as that would just be plain embarrassing.

Overall, The Care Bears is a good film. I won’t say it’s great or anything like that but by the end you will feel pretty satisfied with your experience. The Key Bear even came in clutch when it counted. The world of the Care Bears may be a deadly one as one town can completely tip the balance of power one way or the other but at the same time it also shows just how much difference one person can make. I don’t think the franchise will ever be at the level of My Little Pony or Strawberry Shortcake going forward since the premise just isn’t quite as hype but if you haven’t watched this movie yet, you should change that.

Overall 6/10

Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Overall 6/10