Jeoffrey

Mob Psycho 100 is definitely over, and the third season was a rollercoaster for me. There were episodes that I really looked forward to, enjoying the story and the character development. However, there were also passages that didn't really do it for me. I'm still wondering about the point of those two episodes about aliens... As in the previous seasons, most of the humor in the series went past me. Mob just never really worked for me as a comedy. Then again, I enjoyed how the series worked with the main characters and their development. Animation-wise, it was a combination of the author's distinctive style, which I've grown accustomed to, and the masterfully handled fights and overall capturing of motion, enhanced by plenty of displays of artistic creativity, such as imaginative use of color. On the one hand, I'm happy with the ending. I liked the concept of coming to terms with oneself. On the other, as usual with this series, I was expecting a little more. Overall, Mob Psycho 100 is a decent series with a good story and some interesting characters and if you happen to like its humor, you’ll really enjoy it. As for me, I was pleased, but not amused, and even puzzled by certain parts of this season. 6.6/10

When the first season came out in 2013, I didn't give it a chance at all. I wasn't a fan of short anime series with five-minute episodes back then. I was also under the impression, not sure why, that this series was going to be about climbing (as in rocks, ropes, and crampons). I logically didn't watch the other seasons either. This year, while going through the new releases of this anime season, I was intrigued by the trailer for the latest season, so much so that I wondered if I wasn’t missing out on something exceptional. What got me interested was the score and the animation, especially all the breathtaking panoramas and scenery. I also finally found out that Yama no Susume is not about rock climbing, but rather about hiking, which is very close to my heart. Hiking in the hills and walking around the countryside has always been one of my favorite pastimes. I also read that the first four episodes were a recap of the previous three seasons, so it was okay to jump straight in. After the first episode and quickly going through the first season, I figured that the recap episodes would probably be enough for me, and I didn’t need to catch up on the rest of the seasons. Well, it was only half true. I was able to get into the story and get a decent introduction to the main characters and even get to like some of them. On the other hand, I was obviously missing some bits and pieces of the story (like the storyline about Aoi being afraid of heights at the beginning), so when the first new episode came out (Episode 5), I was quite surprised and had no idea who half of the characters were. Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to understand what was going on, so I was able to enjoy this season quite a bit in the end. I have to give credit to the series for selling me on what is beautiful and challenging about hiking in the mountains, just as it got me rooting for the main character each time she hiked up another mountain. Then again, I can’t help feeling that if Yama no Susume had been handled as 2-3 standard seasons with a runtime of 25 minutes per episode, I would have enjoyed it much more and wouldn't have had to wonder if it was worth catching up on the past seasons (I would have definitely watched them). On further reflection, while most of the characters were likable, they weren't distinctive enough. I'm sure I'll think of someone other than Aoi in a month. But enough already, I don't want to spoil the enjoyable experience which was certainly worth at least a very strong 3*. 6.4/10

I guess the only thing these modern ninjas were good for was to kill time... Honestly, I was bored most of the time. and I didn't find anything interesting or worth remembering. Sure, there was a story that did make sense (more or less), but did I enjoy watching it, was I interested in it? Not really! I find it strange because the concept of modern ninjas who are fighting for power, have their own school and advanced technology, and use various shops and businesses as a cover doesn't sound half bad. But the execution is simplistic in many ways, and the show failed to convince me that the ninjas have an important place, or at least purpose, in our society. I didn't get to see much of the school, the power struggles between the clans just sort of happened, but I couldn’t care less about the outcome. I couldn’t really relate to the characters either. I didn't care for the main protagonist, I wasn’t convinced about his development, and I wasn't impressed with anyone around him either, except maybe Uncle Tokisada. And that’s unfortunate because if you don't care about the characters, you won't be captivated by their stories and your emotional response will equal that of staring at a wall. Even the villain seemed generally weak and boring, and not even the divine voice of Kenjiro Tsuda could save him. The whole thing was just bland and the only positive thing I can think of is the decent animation. It's colorful, it moves, it's watchable, but I guess that's all there is = it’s not terrible but it’s not exciting or interesting either... 4/10

Management of a Novice Alchemist is a relaxing and likable fantasy slice of life about a girl who opens up a shop in a remote village in the middle of nowhere, finally meets some friends, and deals with a few not-too-dramatic problems. The pace is almost too calm, nothing major happens, and when it does, it's presented and resolved in such a way that it feels as if nothing important has happened. The same goes for the characters. They're quite nice but far from complex or interesting. Nothing really makes them memorable, which is the problem with the whole series. It's quite watchable, the animation is nice, and the score is okay too, but it’s nothing to write home about and it’s very likely that you won't remember Sarasa and co in a week. It’s a passable show without too much drama (you don't worry about anyone or anything), not a very interesting or complex plot, not exceedingly original - just an OK series that won’t offend anyone, but I can’t say I’m very pleased with it... 5.5/10

This review contains minor spoilers, so read it only if you've already seen the show. I was quite entertained at the beginning. The first episode in which a local farmer shoots down a dragon with an ordinary carrot made me feel like this could be a kind of fantasy One Punch Man who doesn't really want to be a hero but doesn't have much choice. It’s an interesting concept, which could have been turned into something great, but oh well... With progressing episodes, it got increasingly boring and dumb. I also got very annoyed with the humor, which I found lame and stupid. Plus, the need to be funny undermines the whole OP concept. If in the first episode, the hero shoots down a dragon with a carrot and defeats a demon without batting an eyelid, and then in the second episode, he can't even handle a horny orc and runs away from him like the biggest virgin and moron (and the same joke gets repeated in the very next episode), it makes you question his strength, and it feels inconsistent. Even though you know this scene is supposed to be funny, you can’t help but feel that it’s the cringiest thing you've seen this season. The following part with Helen was just plain boring, and the way everything was resolved by the dubious and unexpected intervention of some supposedly higher power was simply poor writing. For the first time, it made me wonder why I was even watching this. When it was followed by Al's trip home, and his mom was even more annoying than all those horny orcs, it reminded me of the cringe-worthy Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? so I figured I didn't need that and threw the farmer in an imaginary trash can after episode five while I still remembered that the beginning wasn't totally lame, so I could give the show at least a 3/10. It might get better or worse after that, but I'm not going to find out. I’ve seen enough. I dropped it after episode five.

Reincarnated as a Sword had me hooked on its interesting premise even before the first episode came out. The story about a guy who is transported to another world to become a sword stuck in a rock in the middle of nowhere sounded intriguing to me, and I was curious to see what the writers would come up with. I was truly annoyed with the first episode, so much so that I even considered dropping the show, because the premise didn’t seem to be handled well in the opening episode. SPOILER: What I mean by that is that the sword immediately started levitating and slashing all the enemies in the vicinity, becoming an increasingly powerful object. What's wrong with that? First of all, it gives you the idea that such a flying sword doesn't really need anyone, so the whole encounter with the female protagonist feels almost pointless. It’s like creating a plot for the sake of a plot. If the first episode had made it clear to the viewer that a sword stuck in a rock is useless on its own unless someone pulls it out and starts using it, I would have immediately liked it better. It would have made more sense, and Fran wouldn't have seemed almost redundant at first. END OF SPOILER. However, Reincarnated as a Sword is also a series that, despite the bad first impression (and the pile of clichés that followed), gradually started to win me over, until it actually became a nice enjoyable show that doesn’t make you think too hard, but you’re happy just watching the main character set off on her adventures and seeing how the story develops. What’s the show’s secret? Most importantly, Fran is a sweet and curious girl who enjoys adventures and loves fighting, and her enthusiasm will make you start enjoying the story, too. You will want to discover new places and find out how the heroes will deal with the next dangerous situation. Above all, you will simply root for Fran and her sword. Sure, the writers have chosen a very simple origin, which makes the viewer feel a lot of pity and sympathy for Fran at the beginning. It's a bit cheap, but it does work and helps you to quickly relate to the heroine. But it's not just Fran who's very likable here. The sword is actually well-portrayed, too. He becomes a kind and wise mentor and partner, almost a father figure to the protagonist, and their mutual chemistry is just really sweet. I was glad that there was almost zero fanservice, which wouldn't really fit here. What I also liked were the decent dungeons and the simple yet functional world. The series got me interested in the end, despite the fact that apart from the main couple there was only one interesting character for me, which was Amanda (unfortunately, I didn’t think much of the rest of the cast). I did have fun in the end. I'll be glad if there is another season in the future (the ending feels that way) and I'll definitely watch it, so I’m willing to give the series a 4*, even if it's the weakest 4* I can possibly imagine. 6.5/10

The weakest season of the series so far. Apart from various parodies of Pokémon, Yu-gi-oh! and even Shokugeki no Souma, not much else was interesting or extra funny about it. The new villain was weak and unimpressive as a character, and the final plot was also much weaker and less dramatic than what I’ve come to expect of this series. The main character had fewer OP moments, his iconic theme song was only rarely played, and considering what the finale was actually about, I'm neither excited nor amused. In fact, I'm even taking Froggy's side. The only thing worthy of praise was the opening. I have mixed feelings about the rest. While it wasn't an outright flop, I don't think this season deserves more than a 5.5/10.

The biggest issue I have with this anime is the pacing which isn’t doing the series any favors. The writers decided to take what could normally be spread out into three seasons and crammed it into twelve episodes. Everything just flies by at breakneck speed. A lot of things simply happen, without the story building up to it properly, and a lot of surprising twists are just announced in a matter-of-fact way, or they happen in a rush, and the viewer is left to make sense of it all. Even if you are able to keep up with the story and understand everything, it's all a bit confusing and accelerated, the surprises don't really work, negatively affecting the atmosphere, which is quite a shame. The final episode is a case in point. A lot of things happen at the same time, various revelations are made (in one or two brief sentences) and everything gets very quickly resolved. The story still makes sense, the likable characters might make you enjoy it, and the ending might even move you, but the experience can be compared to that of eating fast food that you won’t remember in a few weeks. It really is a shame because the main couple is fantastic. Aileen is a charming, smart, and proactive heroine who is the driving force of the story, so it's not hard to quickly grow to like her and root for her. Claude is very charismatic and affects the story in interesting ways, too. Plus, when the couple have great chemistry, it actually makes for a pretty decent and enjoyable romance that’s fun to watch. It was the main reason I watched the series in the first place. The rest are just minor characters, but still likable, and I even have some favorites among them that I would have liked to know more about, but there was just no space for that. The musical direction wasn't bad, and especially in the last episode you can really feel the effort to elevate the overall impression and enhance the important scenes. The animation is rather mediocre. The characters and some of the backgrounds are good, but the CGI vehicles look pretty awful. If the creators had stretched the story out a bit, developed the plot more, and given more screen time to the main couple who carried the whole show, or maybe fleshed out some of the supporting characters, it could have been worth a 4*. This way, it's a kind of extract of the essentials, which does work in terms of a narrative, but the story isn’t as powerful and intriguing as it could have been... 6.3/10

Let me start with something that probably won't be of much interest to anyone else, but I need to make it clear. Dragon Age: Origins is my all-time favorite game, which I've played 17 times to this day. Considering that it takes about 30-35 hours to finish excluding the data disks (with the data disks some extra 3-5 hours), it’s actually quite an achievement (or at least a lot of time spent). I’ve played the Dragon Age: Awakening DLC four times (the story is weaker), Dragon Age II only twice (I don't like what they did with the combat system and how they recycled locations), and Dragon Age: Inquisition three times (it's my second favorite game of the series, but it's really long, so I have two more unfinished games). As a whole, I love this game series as much as I love The Witcher, The Elders Scrolls, or Mass Effect, so I’m not going to miss anything that comes out of this world. I'm simply a damn fanboy and loremaster, which means that I’ve probably enjoyed this series a bit more than those who have never heard of Dragon Age, for whom this might be just a mediocre fantasy with a pretty good story, interesting characters, and mediocre animation with some obvious flaws, especially in the use of CGI on some of the monsters (the dragon) and during some fights, especially the ones where magic is used. What I appreciated is that I instantly recognized many of the creatures. Except for the corpses (who look like weird shadow goblins for some reason), the creators have kept the original visuals. I also recognized a lot of the spells used, and I appreciated the glimpse into Tevinter and its problems, which I’m pretty familiar with. Hopefully, in the next installment of the game series, I'll go there to sort things out myself... I also immediately recognized the origin of most of the characters, their race, and their class. Aside from a few minor details, I was very pleased with how they were portrayed, and I liked the wide range of characters that were assembled here. I also liked the theme of slavery and free will. After all, I've been through a lot as a city elf in DA:O myself, so I was no stranger to it, and it resonated with me. I also couldn't have been surprised about the fact that girls can be into girls and boys can like boys, which has always been the standard in BioWare games. It’s not necessarily about representing minorities, but more about the developers simply wanting to give you as many different options as possible, so that everyone can enjoy the games, and experience the variety - which is the point of RPGs. The series presents this in a completely normal and natural way, the relationships make sense, it's explained or shown how they came to be, and I was able to root for them. Most of the characters were likable or at least intrigued me in some way. Their motivations were clearly explained even in the relatively small space of six episodes, and I had no problem understanding them. The story started off as quite straightforward and fast-paced but managed to surprise me with some of its twists and turns at the end. All in all - if you don't know the games and decide to give it a shot, you probably won't be disappointed (it's at least a slightly above-average fantasy). If you do know the games, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did, and despite some of the flaws, you might even end up giving it an 8/10 wondering if there's going to be another season (the door has been left wide open) or if any part of the story will be reflected in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.

There is probably only one other TV series about Vikings I have enjoyed as much as this. Most of the things I would like to write have already been said in other reviews,  so I will be briefl - I thought it was visually captivating, with a perfect soundtrack, a very interesting narrative (even in parts when there does not seem to be much going on) and excellent action scenes. In terms of the psychological makeup of the characters, I found them to be pretty decent. My favorite characters were: Askeladd, Thors, and Thorkell - in that order. 9/10.