My first anime was Yu-Gi-Oh back in elementary school, and I first read Hikaru no Go in middle school and high school. I discovered the rest of anime in 2020 during quarantine through Studio Ghibli. My primary interest lies with classics; I figure that most of the contemporary anime worth watching will still be there down the line, so I prioritize them less. That being said, I do still try to keep my ear to the ground for promising new shows. If you want to see my thoughts on a show beyond just the raw score, check the tags on the side of the screen; everything I've seen has at least something written, though the quality of each blurb may vary. I rarely write full reviews, and more rarely post them; I only post ones that I feel are worth a reader's time.
What I look for in a show:
Fundamentally, my criteria boil down to "how well does the show or movie do what it's trying to do" and "how much do I enjoy what it's trying to do," with varying emphasis on each. "Objective" would be the wrong word to describe how I view art - objectivity is a myth in this field, after all - but "holistic" wouldn't be far off the mark. That is to say, I try to view a work in its totality and within context, though I have my preferences like anyone else.
More pointedly, I judge individual aspects of anime in two broad categories: ones with a caveat of "unless that's the point," and ones that really have to be good, or else the anime suffers. That is not to say I "grade" each aspect on a 1-10 scale like some reviewers do; that is reductionist and silly. Art must be judged holistically if it is to be judged at all. What I mean is that these are the things that typically stick out to me when I watch. All that being said, there's always an element of "how seriously does this anime want to be taken?" For anime that clearly don't want to be scrutinized, like Gunbuster, Gunsmith Cats, or Ya Boy Kongming, my opinion is really just a matter of how fun they were. For ones that are taking themselves seriously, I do my best to do the same. For better or for worse.
1. Characters:
Fundamentally, the most important things for a character to be are engaging and believable. These can come from their own individual complexities (Ashita no Joe), their aspirational qualities (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) or their relatability to me in particular (When Marnie Was There). Even a compelling plot will typically begin to bore me if I can't get invested in the characters (Unlimited Blade Works, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas), with rare exceptions (Akira). In a more plot-driven story, they don't even really need complex arcs; a hero's journey is enough for me to love it (Erased, Castle in the Sky). The reverse is also true: compelling character arcs are enough to carry a straightforward plot (Spirited Away, A Place Further than the Universe). That being said, characters don’t necessarily need to be interesting in and of themselves if their thematic significance to the plot makes them interesting (Metropolis).
2. Worldbuilding:
This one's mostly in the realm of fantasy and sci-fi. If the world is interesting and internally consistent, that's a win (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Lord of the Rings). More broadly, though, a show should give me a sense of time and place. If a show nails its characters and worldbuilding, that can make for a decent score even if its other aspects are less impressive (Howl's Moving Castle). A world that is either inconsistent or repeatedly uninspiring will rapidly ruin my enjoyment without something else to keep it afloat (Magus Bride). However, a show’s awareness of its own lack of logic can serve as a catalyst that just brings you along for the ride (Gunbuster, Gurren Lagann).
3. Plot:
I don't really consider myself real picky when it comes to plot. The only things I need are for it to make sense and not be completely littered with holes and conveniences (Code Geass). The plot doesn’t really even need to be there if the show’s interest is elsewhere (K-On!). I've rarely encountered this in anime, but if a plot's nonsensicality adds to either its tone or message, that can also enhance a work (Night on the Galactic Railroad, and Fritz Lang's Metropolis is a good live action example).
4. Theme:
A really great piece of media should, for me, have some level of meaning beyond its own events, whether it's philosophical (Madoka Magica), political (Legend of the Galactic Heroes), or just about how you live (When Marnie Was There). However, if they are so overt or clumsy that they overshadow the plot or characters, they can very quickly become a negative (Megalobox Season 2). A show can also just be there to entertain (Redline), and there is nothing wrong with that so long as I don't feel that my intelligence is being insulted (My Bride Is a Mermaid).
5. Animation:
Typically, a show's animation has to be truly awful (Space Battleship Yamato) or repetitive (Fist of the North Star) for it to really detract from my experience. That being said, if I've come to expect a certain animation quality and am suddenly faced with a drop, that will bother me (Attack on Titan, One Punch Man). CGI is not inherently bad, but I will almost always prefer 2-D to 3-D unless it serves a strong narrative, thematic, or tonal purpose (The Sky Crawlers, The Vision of Escaflowne) or is incredibly well-disguised (Cowboy Bebop). Most of the time, good animation is just a nice touch, but if it's really spectacular (Akira, Redline, Violet Evergarden, Shinkai's filmography, etc.) it can really elevate a work. Yes, I am admitting that I can get distracted by the pretty colors. Sue me.
1. Direction:
Direction is all-encompassing. It involves shot composition, background art direction, sound, editing, and sometimes writing; it affects the tone, mood, and pacing, and places the viewer in a distinct time and place. Is that vague? Yes, because direction is a hard thing to quantify; at least, it is for me. I leave animation off the list for a reason; a skilled director can make minimal animation into something spectacular (Kino’s Journey, Serial Experiments Lain, the entire filmography of Osamu Dezaki), while a poor one will not be saved by any amount of pretty color spattered on screen (Bubblegum Crisis, Takt Op. Destiny). There are just some shows where there is a clear vision from the director, which is apparent to anyone who watches their work (Gunslinger Girl, Ashita no Joe).
2. Characterization:
I consider this distinct from character; I think of characterization as how characters are used and portrayed within a story, as well as how they contrast with other characters and the themes. Most of the time, characters should feel well-rounded, three-dimensional, and full of personality. However, sometimes the media demands something different. As obnoxious as self-inserts usually are, they can be used to great effect to inspire a change in the audience (5 Centimeters per Second). At other times, archetypal characters can be used to symbolize the idea of a person (Grave of the Fireflies). In these situations, even if the characters aren’t complex in and of themselves, the way they are used in the story keeps them engaging (The Sky Crawlers, Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke; Fritz Lang’s M is a good example of this from outside anime).
3. Tone:
If the moment is serious, let it be serious. Naturally, shows can include both comedy and drama (Kaguya-sama and Legend of the Galactic Heroes), but the undercutting of serity with half-hearted comedy or slapstick violence is the single fastest way to wreck my opinion of a potentially great series (Your Lie in April). Excessive random fanservice will accomplish this feat nearly as fast (Soul Eater). There are shows that effectively balance comedy and drama in frequent tandem with each other (Cowboy Bebop, March Comes in Like a Lion), but it is a hard thing to effectively pull off.
4. Writing:
Writing is very simple: do the events of the plot naturally flow from one to the next? Do the character’s motivations, personalities, and interactions remain believable? Is their dialogue both fitting and engaging (Odd Taxi)? Is there enough subtext to approximate some depth (March Comes in Like a Lion)? Are the themes consistent and right, or if I disagree with them, are they at least effective in making me empathize with their point of view (The Sky Crawlers)? Disclaimer: most ecchi shows will fail this rating. If a show succeeds in other aspects, I can forgive weaknesses in writing, but a weakness in it will always be a weakness (Code Geass).
5. Sound
I'm not difficult to please here. Soundtrack and score should be both good on their own merits and tonally consistent with the rest of the work (Cowboy Bebop, Violet Evergarden). Sound effects shouldn't break immersion - this goes for both diegetic and nondiegetic sound (see all of Masafumi Mima's work, and most of Osamu Dezaki's). Good voice acting should be a given (Attack on Titan). This is probably the aspect I'm most willing to forgive; if other parts are strong, subpar sound design will not usually detract all that much (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind).
To reiterate, I do not grade individual aspects to form my scores; these are just the things that typically stand out to me.
Scoring guidelines:
1/10 - 0/100 to 14/100 - As of now, the only anime I've given a 1/10 to is Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. An artistically bankrupt cash-grab that couldn't even be bothered to follow through on its own framing device. By the grace of God I haven't seen more.
2/10 - 15/100 to 24/100 - Something that actively annoyed me throughout its entire runtime, and is only kept from a lower score by small amounts of goodness sprinkled throughout (FLCL). That or it does one thing I really like (Conqueror of Shamballa).
3/10 - 25/100 to 34/100 - Completely uninteresting or aggressively contrived. Essentially, I was completely unable to get invested in the anime, but there were enough things I enjoyed that it wasn't a complete failure (Ninja Scroll). Alternatively, a show whose negative aspects completely derailed any level of goodwill I had for it (looking at you, SAO).
4/10 - 35/100 to 44/100 - More bad then good. Usually very forgettable (Takt Op. Destiny, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish); I remember my 3s and 2s more than my 4s and 5s typically.
5/10 - 45/100 to 54/100 - Good and bad about evened out. I don't mean this to be an average; the things I liked and the things I didn't like literally added up to the same (Tokyo Ghoul). With occasional exceptions (Magus Bride), these also tend to be really forgettable. If I had no strong feelings at all, this is probably where it ended up (The Place Promised in Our Early Days).
6/10 - 55/100 to 64/100 - Generally, my net feelings were positive, but I wouldn't really say I like them (Suzume, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners). This is also where I tend to stick ones that are probably good on their own merits, but don't appeal to me at all. Things like Millennium Actress, Garden of Words, and Kill la Kill don't have much that I can complain about, but I won't lie and say I liked something I didn't.
7/10 - 65/100 to 74/100 - Noticeable flaws, but still very enjoyable. My usual reaction when thinking about these later on is "man, that was a good one." If an anime was consistently strong, but never really exceptional in any way, this is probably where it ended up (Dororo 1969). Otherwise flawed anime whose strong artistic vision I can feel will also end up here (Horus, Prince of the Sun). The prime candidates for rewatches also for some reason end up here, though I couldn't tell you why (Samurai Champloo).
8/10 - 75/100 to 84/100 - Just a really good anime. These are defined by consistency. Kinda like a 7 but achieves real greatness at some point during its run (Cardcaptor Sakura); kept from being a 9 usually by something major (Toradora, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind). Otherwise, a consistently solid show that delivers on its ideas without frustrating me (A Silent Voice).
9/10 - 85/100 to 94/100 - I love these. They either hit all the right notes and don't annoy me at all (Patema Inverted), are just genuinely fantastic in their own right (Fate/Zero), or they have some aspect that elevates them above their flaws (Death Note).
10/10 - 95/100 to 100/100 - Serious contenders for my favorite pieces of media, in film or otherwise. They certainly aren't all flawless, but they all deliver on all their ideas and have something special that elevates them above the rest. Sometimes, though, they really are just perfect (Grave of the Fireflies). Or to go with a more basic criteria, I think they're better than my favorite movie, Castle in the Sky.
It's also worth mentioning that there can be a significant difference in my opinion even within the numbers, especially within the 10s. Grave of the Fireflies and Ashita no Joe are anime I hold in significantly higher esteem than those on the lower end of my favorites list (Look Back, Berserk), despite both receiving the same score.
More favorites because I ain't paying MAL (follow Anime News Network's example and add Scott Pilgrim and War of the Rohirrim to the database you cowards):
Standalone Anime:
Legend of the
Galactic
Heroes
Fullmetal
Alchemist:
Brotherhood
The Tale of the
Princess Kaguya
Perfect Blue
Cowboy Bebop
Nana
A Place Further
than the
Universe
Berserk (1997)
Look Back
Your Name.
Sequels:
Ashita no Joe 2
March Comes In
Like a Lion
Season 2
Hunter x Hunter
(1999) OVA
Neon Genesis
Evangelion:
The End of
Evangelion
Characters:
Yang Wen-li
Reinhard von Lohengramm
(Legend of the
Galactic Heroes)
Spike Spiegel
Faye Valentine
(Cowboy Bebop)
Yukino Miyazawa
Souichirou Arima
(His and Her
Circumstances)
Erwin Smith
Christa Lenz
(Attack on Titan)
Tooru Rikiishi
(Ashita no Joe)
Kumiko Oumae
(Sound! Euphonium)
Sayaka Miki
(Puella Magi
Madoka Magica)
Oscar François de Jarjayes
(The Rose of Versailles)
Tsubasa Hanekawa
(Monogatari Series)
Wolfgang Grimmer
(Monster)
Shinichiro Isumi
(Hikaru no Go)
People:
Hiroyuki Sawano
(Composer)
Morio Asaka
(Director)
Kana Hanazawa
(Voice Actress)
Jukki Hanada
(Screenwriter)
Episodes, one per franchise:
1. Ashita no Joe – 51 – Spoilers
2. March Comes in Like a Lion – 40 – Burnt Field (HM 26)
3. Violet Evergarden – 10 – A Loved One Will Always Watch Over You
4. Legend of the Galactic Heroes – 83 – After the Festival
5. Erased – 8 – Spiral
6. Hunter x Hunter (2011) – 135 – This Day and This Moment
7. His and Her Circumstances – 19 – 14 Days: 1 (HM 13)
8. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – 22 – Backs in the Distance
9. Cowboy Bebop – 18 – Speak Like a Child (HM 7)
10. Avatar: The Last Airbender – 56 – The Southern Raiders
11. Kino's Journey (2003) – 13 – A Kind Land
12. Puella Magi Madoka Magica – 8 – I Was Stupid, So Stupid (HM 10)
13. Mushoku Tensei – 17 – Reunion
14. Cardcaptor Sakura – 66 – Sakura and Who She Likes the Most
15. Gunbuster – 5 – Please!! Time Enough for Love!
16. K-On! – 26 – Summerfest!
17. Ghost Stories – 9 – The Corpse That Wanders the Night: Shirotabi
18. Medalist – 17 – Ascendance
19. A Place Further than the Universe – 1 – One Million Yen For Youth
20. The Rose of Versailles – 19 – Farewell, My Sister! (HM 38)
Favorite AMVs (everything has spoilers):
1. Fourth of July – i'm cyborg but that's ok (Grave of the Fireflies)
2. The Ouran Side – BecauseImBored1 (Ouran High School Host Club)
3. Married Life – thefanvideoer2 (Wolf Children)
4. Cold Silence – Jazzsvids (Erased)
5. Maps – AMV-X (Patema Inverted)
Major milestones in my anime-watching career:
1st anime: Yu-Gi-Oh!
5th: My Neighbor Totoro
10: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
25: Metropolis
50: Death Note
69: Kill la Kill
75: Steins;Gate
100: Attack on Titan
125: The Boy and the Heron
150: Berserk (1997)
169: Golden Boy
175: Monster
Thanks for the Macross rec! I found the YouTube video and it was the perfect companion while I did my daily walking pad session. It was vibrant, like looking through a kaleidoscope at times, and just as classy as the original. Tomorrow I’ll start Awajima!
Great! Ishiguro went on to be animation director for Space Battleship Yamato, and overall director for the OG Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love?, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Sugii made Night on the Galactic Railroad, which is kind of an Angel's Egg-style movie. Very abstract, and with a maybe religious connotation.
Now I see! I guess that makes me familiar with all of those guys, then. Still need to return to Macross someday. Only seen the original series.
Since you've dug into the 60s some, are there any that you've seen that you'd recommend from that era?
Honestly, Astro Boy. That one is pretty recent for me, and I ended up dropping it after 13 episodes, but I enjoyed what I did watch. Main reason I stopped is because good subs became more and more difficult to find, with certain sources randomly switching to dub episodes, too. There's also 193 episodes of it, LOL. It's dated, sure. I still like it. It uses a very serialized structure after the first 2-3 episodes, which is basically just Atom saving the day in different scenarios.
There's also Tales of the Street Corner, which I can't recommend enough for its creative visuals. Certain parts were honestly hard for me to follow, though.
On a more nuts-and-bolts side, just looks at the staff list! Osamu Dezaki, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Gisaburou Sugii, Noboru Ishiguro, it's like a who's-who of future legends of the 70s and 80s. It's really interesting to watch from that perspective as well, seeing the burgeoning talents of some of anime's best. The Dezaki and Tomino episodes in particular are really excellent.
To be honest, I only know half those names, but with the revelation that Dezaki and Tomino worked on it, I've now naturally decided to watch it!
One word of warning though: around halfway through, there's a jarring tone shift from the relatively serious style to a very (poorly done) comedic one. Supposedly this stems from Tezuka's editor forcing his hand while he was writing the manga, but it persisted in the anime as well. Apparently Sugii, Dezaki, and Tomino all left pretty soon after that. Dezaki went on to make Ashita no Joe though, so it was probably a net positive for the industry as a whole lol. I personally couldn't bring myself to keep watching it, so I skipped to the final episode, which I've only done for this show.
Almost sounds like a challenge! It will be interesting to see if I gain that same temptation if those episodes are hard to sit through.
I'm also going to take this time to shamelessly plug A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, which has been all but perfect this season, and desperately deserves more praise than it's been getting.
Thanks for the rec! That anime definitely seems to have flown under the radar. This is my lightest season in awhile, though, so I'm happy to give it a whirl! Sounds interesting, plus I see that it's Madhouse and has Kana Ichinose and Ai Kayano.
Hello Mr. Easton! I'd like to know your thoughts about the original Dororo from 1969. I see you've watched it and gave it a good rating.
I've been slowly making my way through 1960s anime as of late, but I've already seen the modern remake of Dororo. It is a complete adaptation of the story. Is there anything you would still recommend about the original to someone already familiar with the whole story?
I gotta say... your little list blurb about Cowboy Bebop got me curious. It's one of the anime that I watched before finding MAL, so it was a long, long time ago. I grew up watching it on Toonami too, of course, but I never actually saw the complete picture until I was about 19. You've given me cause to give it another go. What you say in your blurb is something that I never even considered at the time; it was completely lost on me. Already on Episode 5 and so far, I can say it's absolutely better than I remember.
Wow. There is even more to unpack than I realized in Metropolis. The whole reason I liked it myself, like you, is the tone! But also the often gothic aesthetic/set designs. Silent films are usually not my jam, but this is now the second one I actually feel that I'm into (the first being Caligari).
I am guessing that Die Nibelungen is based on the Nibelungenlied/the legend of Sigurd/Siegfried. I love myth stuff, but would you actually recommend this one?
I'll check out that video momentarily. Thank you, because I've been dying to better understand Metropolis since before I even finished watching it, lol. Also, apologies for the very late response. It was an eventful Thanksgiving for me, in a good way! Hope your holiday was nice!
I just watched Metropolis (1927) and I’ve seen that it’s one of your favorite films. I definitely like it, but I feel like there’s a ton that I missed. I’ll need to rewatch it at least a couple more times to really settle how I feel about it. There’s simply so much to unpack in this one that at least a couple more viewings feel necessary. Particularly, and I’m hoping you can help me with this since this is one of your favs, I’m struggling with the biblical stuff. As I’ve mentioned previously, I am not religious. I know some things about the Abrahamic faiths, and a couple of these—the Tower of Babel and the depiction/legend of Sodom’s Beast—I was able to pick up on and make sense of in the context of Metropolis. The classism stuff speaks for itself I’m sure, but there is probably more to it I’m not quite assimilating because I lack the biblical knowledge.
Eager to know your thoughts on this one, as I’m sure you possess a much greater insight into it, plus it’s always cool to learn why highly unique and unconventional (more so just old, in this case) films are someone’s favorite.
Aria is special. It's a tough one to recommend in general, but if I think it would genuinely be up someone's alley, then it is THE anime I would recommend to them above all else. Series like Aria and Yokohama just aren't popular, and it's because of the genre. That's why I insist you watch Aria at your earliest convenience, since you are someone who would appreciate it. I will say though, it is the kind of thing that is best savored over time. Even though I was rewatching it, I rarely watched more than one episode in a day. It's just that kind of experience, and IMO, viewing it like this makes the eventual payoffs all the more cathartic.
On the subject of Orb's religiosity or lack thereof, the thought did occur to me that it was a very Japanese view of organized religion.
Yeah, always has been tbh. Anytime the Abrahamic faiths are directly addressed in anime, they're treated in exactly the same way as Shintoism or other mythologies. How do I best explain how I see this? I guess it looks to me like it's kind of rude in a way, since to the average Japanese person, those faiths ARE mythologies. But the key difference in practice is that literally half the world actively practices these religions. It's not like saying "Old Norse" or "the Ulster Cycle", since those are widely considered mythologies in the modern day. No one says "the Christian Mythos" or anything like that, not even atheists and other areligious folk. It even looks disrespectful to me, and I am not religious. I hope that makes sense! Orb, in line with established Japanese media, definitely gives the subject this exact same treatment, IMO, and that's mainly why I felt reviewing it in earnest would be polarizing.
I do use Discord! I am just iwearclothes on there, so definitely feel free to add me!
Hey friend, thanks! Just recently read your (very personal and honestly really touching) review of Yokohama. Watched the sparse but nice anime entries literally last week and saw you reviewed the manga. I’m a huge fan of the Aria series (and recently completed a rewatch of it), and I’ve always heard that Yokohama is the closest thing to it that can be found, so it was time I tried it out. Also, I thought this as soon as I finished the anime, but even more so after reading your review: why is there not more anime of it!? I think it deserves a full adaptation, to truly do it justice.
Yeah, to be completely honest, the main reason I posted it to Twitter instead of MAL is because I don’t want to pick fights with folks who have other views. Not that I’d ever really pick a fight over that on purpose, but the fact that my read of Orb is that it is areligious—and that it disregards organized religion in that oh so specifically Japanese way, as you seem to agree with me about—makes my thoughts on it absolutely polarizing. And even those who may not be polarized by them might still take my review as contentious or even arrogant, even though that’s not my intention.
I’ve seen several different takes on Orb, all from people I respect, and they ALL conflict with each other. I’ve seen that it’s specifically extremely Christian, that it is inherently, even mockingly anti-Christian, and that it is centrist in the sense that it advocates for coexistence above all, even if “Truth” is its narrative anchor. Orb tackles a super sensitive subject, obviously, so posting my thoughts to Twitter where interactions are usually more direct and personal seemed like a safer bet that I wouldn’t get hate comments or rub anyone the wrong way, since I know my audience there. I have gotten hate comments here on MAL since posting my most recent anime review (even if they both got deleted almost instantly, for some reason), and I can only see an Orb review resulting in exponentially more extreme reactions.
But also, to be quite honest, I didn’t have too many more thoughts on Orb than what I shared in my Twitter thread. I’m not well-versed in dark ages history, so even though Orb takes place in a historical setting, I didn’t want to delve into a side of it I don’t know much about. I know inquisitors existed, I know they weren’t actually as badass as Nowak/Tsuda Kenjiro, and I know they weren’t usually murderous sadists like how Orb portrays them. I mainly wanted to write about how it came across to me, since my own areligious perspective might have offered something a bit unique or at least somewhat in line with Orb's thematic dialogue.
What you said about the execution delineates my feelings exactly. The idea itself is almost interesting by default, but the execution definitely has issues. I think that regardless of viewer beliefs or perspective, Orb is walking a line that’s fundamentally impossible not to cross. Someone is going to feel disrespected, offended, or talked down to in some way or another. The subject itself making it impossible to please everyone is forgivable to me though, since the show exists in spite of that. It’s bold and headstrong, if nothing else. And like I mentioned in my mini-review, I don’t like that Orb romanticizes itself so much. Took me out of the experience at times, as well as it being so on the nose.
P.S. I’ve had a couple gin and tonics tonight, so I apologize in advance for any typos or odd phrasing, LOL. Also, while reading your Yokohama review, I thought "this guy would be rad to hang out with" LOL.
MAL's standards really don't make a lick of sense past a certain point.
Agreed. I don't know if this is still their criteria, but at one point it was something along the lines of:
"Made in Japan, by Japanese people, for a Japanese audience."
Just noticed that you posted your Rohirrim review on here as a blog post, but I can't say I delighted in reading through it. Everything you say is too painfully true! I've always been of the mindset that any excuse to spend more time in Middle-Earth is a good one, but you've unfortunately given me excellent cause to reexamine that sentiment. I've felt it true for when The Hobbit got turned into a trilogy (I hated the idea at first, but the execution justified it enough), and I even felt it true for Rings of Power to an extent. But you're simply right: Rohirrim is vapid. Even the weird ass Hobbit film from 1977 is a better anime. There might have been times that I felt like I was glad to be visiting Middle-Earth again while watching Rohirrim, but you elucidated the reality of it perfectly in your review:
I hate to admit that hearing the Edoras theme in this film momentarily stirred some positive emotion in me, but luckily it was only a passing thing, and the shadow returned soon enough.
Another thing: this needs to be added to the database here so your review can see the light of day for real!
I have seen some reviewers describe the series as honest, and while any one word is woefully inadequate to describe such a masterpiece, it seems to be the most apt.
Wait, so it's me? I'm some reviewers? That's awesome, man! Thank you! But yeah, I agree completely that it's the most apt descriptor for the story, especially after seeing how you put it into words. Anne's penchant for trouble and even her rage, Marilla's no-nonsense demeanor, Mrs. Rachel's audacity. Consequences, loss, responsibility, redemption, and goodbyes. Akage no Anne really has a way of encapsulating life itself, not even just what I said about growing up. And it's always so natural and intuitive in how it comes across—in a way I hope is universal. That's why it feels so honest to me; Montgomery has zero pretenses, so it's also honest in an authentic way.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Letterboxd. It might have the best UI and design of any movie database, but I think the users are perhaps the lowest quality across such sites. Letterboxd "reviews" are really just comments most of the time. I have to dig to find the real reviews! I need friends on that site, though! Let me know yours, I'd like to add you.
Yeah, Anne is usually one of those pointed to as a pretentious "I only pretend to like this to look cultured" sort of pick. Which honestly makes very little sense considering how few folks have actually sat down and watched it. Similar to how you showed your family, my wife has enjoyed watching the new one with me. This story really is something everyone can watch.
But yeah, truncated might be putting it lightly. It's honestly more of a highlight reel. It adapts what was 50 episodes of content in only 12 or 13. I appreciate it in this way cause it feels like a tribute to the original to me, even though it's adapting more of Montgomery's books. I really shouldn't even say it "feels" like that; the first few episodes definitely paint the homage picture by including matte snippets in the background art. I remember it most distinctly when Matthew is taking Anne to Green Gables from the train station.
These "new" parts are so much fun, to be honest, and that's while knowing I'm getting another highlight reel. I recommend it in some capacity, but certainly not with any urgency. It's the kinda thing you might get the most out of if you're ever feeling like you miss Akage no Anne but don't want to watch 50 episodes again. Definitely expect 3-5 episodes condensed into one if you ever give it a spin, though. It definitely is somewhat jarring.
Honestly never thought people would read my notes! Can't believe it even lead to someone watching something. I write those for my own posterity more than anything, but it's honestly a joy to know someone wanted to watch Anne because of it. Anyway, thanks for yapping about it with me. I haven't had the opportunity to talk about this anime with anyone, so I got really excited when I saw you had a new review of it that I could read!
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Now I see! I guess that makes me familiar with all of those guys, then. Still need to return to Macross someday. Only seen the original series.
Honestly, Astro Boy. That one is pretty recent for me, and I ended up dropping it after 13 episodes, but I enjoyed what I did watch. Main reason I stopped is because good subs became more and more difficult to find, with certain sources randomly switching to dub episodes, too. There's also 193 episodes of it, LOL. It's dated, sure. I still like it. It uses a very serialized structure after the first 2-3 episodes, which is basically just Atom saving the day in different scenarios.
There's also Tales of the Street Corner, which I can't recommend enough for its creative visuals. Certain parts were honestly hard for me to follow, though.
To be honest, I only know half those names, but with the revelation that Dezaki and Tomino worked on it, I've now naturally decided to watch it!
Almost sounds like a challenge! It will be interesting to see if I gain that same temptation if those episodes are hard to sit through.
Thanks for the rec! That anime definitely seems to have flown under the radar. This is my lightest season in awhile, though, so I'm happy to give it a whirl! Sounds interesting, plus I see that it's Madhouse and has Kana Ichinose and Ai Kayano.
I've been slowly making my way through 1960s anime as of late, but I've already seen the modern remake of Dororo. It is a complete adaptation of the story. Is there anything you would still recommend about the original to someone already familiar with the whole story?
I am guessing that Die Nibelungen is based on the Nibelungenlied/the legend of Sigurd/Siegfried. I love myth stuff, but would you actually recommend this one?
I'll check out that video momentarily. Thank you, because I've been dying to better understand Metropolis since before I even finished watching it, lol. Also, apologies for the very late response. It was an eventful Thanksgiving for me, in a good way! Hope your holiday was nice!
Eager to know your thoughts on this one, as I’m sure you possess a much greater insight into it, plus it’s always cool to learn why highly unique and unconventional (more so just old, in this case) films are someone’s favorite.
Yeah, always has been tbh. Anytime the Abrahamic faiths are directly addressed in anime, they're treated in exactly the same way as Shintoism or other mythologies. How do I best explain how I see this? I guess it looks to me like it's kind of rude in a way, since to the average Japanese person, those faiths ARE mythologies. But the key difference in practice is that literally half the world actively practices these religions. It's not like saying "Old Norse" or "the Ulster Cycle", since those are widely considered mythologies in the modern day. No one says "the Christian Mythos" or anything like that, not even atheists and other areligious folk. It even looks disrespectful to me, and I am not religious. I hope that makes sense! Orb, in line with established Japanese media, definitely gives the subject this exact same treatment, IMO, and that's mainly why I felt reviewing it in earnest would be polarizing.
I do use Discord! I am just iwearclothes on there, so definitely feel free to add me!
Yeah, to be completely honest, the main reason I posted it to Twitter instead of MAL is because I don’t want to pick fights with folks who have other views. Not that I’d ever really pick a fight over that on purpose, but the fact that my read of Orb is that it is areligious—and that it disregards organized religion in that oh so specifically Japanese way, as you seem to agree with me about—makes my thoughts on it absolutely polarizing. And even those who may not be polarized by them might still take my review as contentious or even arrogant, even though that’s not my intention.
I’ve seen several different takes on Orb, all from people I respect, and they ALL conflict with each other. I’ve seen that it’s specifically extremely Christian, that it is inherently, even mockingly anti-Christian, and that it is centrist in the sense that it advocates for coexistence above all, even if “Truth” is its narrative anchor. Orb tackles a super sensitive subject, obviously, so posting my thoughts to Twitter where interactions are usually more direct and personal seemed like a safer bet that I wouldn’t get hate comments or rub anyone the wrong way, since I know my audience there. I have gotten hate comments here on MAL since posting my most recent anime review (even if they both got deleted almost instantly, for some reason), and I can only see an Orb review resulting in exponentially more extreme reactions.
But also, to be quite honest, I didn’t have too many more thoughts on Orb than what I shared in my Twitter thread. I’m not well-versed in dark ages history, so even though Orb takes place in a historical setting, I didn’t want to delve into a side of it I don’t know much about. I know inquisitors existed, I know they weren’t actually as badass as Nowak/Tsuda Kenjiro, and I know they weren’t usually murderous sadists like how Orb portrays them. I mainly wanted to write about how it came across to me, since my own areligious perspective might have offered something a bit unique or at least somewhat in line with Orb's thematic dialogue.
What you said about the execution delineates my feelings exactly. The idea itself is almost interesting by default, but the execution definitely has issues. I think that regardless of viewer beliefs or perspective, Orb is walking a line that’s fundamentally impossible not to cross. Someone is going to feel disrespected, offended, or talked down to in some way or another. The subject itself making it impossible to please everyone is forgivable to me though, since the show exists in spite of that. It’s bold and headstrong, if nothing else. And like I mentioned in my mini-review, I don’t like that Orb romanticizes itself so much. Took me out of the experience at times, as well as it being so on the nose.
P.S. I’ve had a couple gin and tonics tonight, so I apologize in advance for any typos or odd phrasing, LOL. Also, while reading your Yokohama review, I thought "this guy would be rad to hang out with" LOL.
Agreed. I don't know if this is still their criteria, but at one point it was something along the lines of:
"Made in Japan, by Japanese people, for a Japanese audience."
Pretty easy to pick apart, obviously, lol.
Another thing: this needs to be added to the database here so your review can see the light of day for real!
Enjoy this dumb meme I just made. I do agree that it's become worse with the new system, though!
Went ahead and added you on there. I'm actually in a similar position as you; not every movie I've seen is rated on there yet.
That video is a classic. I also recommend this one from the same dude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkhivZxrbtE
Wait, so it's me? I'm some reviewers? That's awesome, man! Thank you! But yeah, I agree completely that it's the most apt descriptor for the story, especially after seeing how you put it into words. Anne's penchant for trouble and even her rage, Marilla's no-nonsense demeanor, Mrs. Rachel's audacity. Consequences, loss, responsibility, redemption, and goodbyes. Akage no Anne really has a way of encapsulating life itself, not even just what I said about growing up. And it's always so natural and intuitive in how it comes across—in a way I hope is universal. That's why it feels so honest to me; Montgomery has zero pretenses, so it's also honest in an authentic way.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Letterboxd. It might have the best UI and design of any movie database, but I think the users are perhaps the lowest quality across such sites. Letterboxd "reviews" are really just comments most of the time. I have to dig to find the real reviews! I need friends on that site, though! Let me know yours, I'd like to add you.
But yeah, truncated might be putting it lightly. It's honestly more of a highlight reel. It adapts what was 50 episodes of content in only 12 or 13. I appreciate it in this way cause it feels like a tribute to the original to me, even though it's adapting more of Montgomery's books. I really shouldn't even say it "feels" like that; the first few episodes definitely paint the homage picture by including matte snippets in the background art. I remember it most distinctly when Matthew is taking Anne to Green Gables from the train station.
These "new" parts are so much fun, to be honest, and that's while knowing I'm getting another highlight reel. I recommend it in some capacity, but certainly not with any urgency. It's the kinda thing you might get the most out of if you're ever feeling like you miss Akage no Anne but don't want to watch 50 episodes again. Definitely expect 3-5 episodes condensed into one if you ever give it a spin, though. It definitely is somewhat jarring.
Honestly never thought people would read my notes! Can't believe it even lead to someone watching something. I write those for my own posterity more than anything, but it's honestly a joy to know someone wanted to watch Anne because of it. Anyway, thanks for yapping about it with me. I haven't had the opportunity to talk about this anime with anyone, so I got really excited when I saw you had a new review of it that I could read!