The Metropolis Mind

So this will be just a quick list-type of a post. Spring has already started and it won't be too long before I start watching a few shows from it as well as writing my first impressions on them in my new blog. Because of that, I want to just give you a guide on which amongst the shows this season I can recommend to you.

Without any further ado, let us begin.

First up is...

1. Marginal #4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang




5.  Youjo Senki



6. Spiritpact

 And lastly,

7. Kuzu no Honkai

Based on that, you may think that every episode in this show is lighthearted but let me tell you now that it isn’t, well at least for some parts.

Most of the episodes feature the characters go through personal development as their natures as demis aren’t yet fully known in the society, in this anime’s setting however, most of it take place in the school. If the episode's not about them going through a personal development, the episode will probably go and make the viewers get to know more about them and their backgrounds.

Through these episodes, one can be assured that every character is getting explored properly.

One thing that really keeps the show interesting is the fact that every demi is different - one is a vampire, the other is a dullahan, the other is a snow woman and one teacher is a succubus. Because of their different and unique natures, they all call for different wants and needs. Which is, albeit, accepted in the society in general, is never given a second-thought by the people in that society.

The demis tend to be misunderstood by real humans in the society and that gives them a hard time to adjust accordingly in the society. That is, until, a beacon of light will probably be lit, which takes form as a biology professor named, Tetsuo.


Tetsuo is teacher who has taken an interest on studying demis. Because of this drive to learn more about them, these students open up to the teacher, which can be both an easy and a hard task to do for the demis as some can be very controversial. Through this exchange of knowledge between Tetsuo and the demis, both of them gains knowledge and information on the characterstics of the different demis.



Hence the title of the anime in English is called "Interviews with Monster Girls".

Little by little, light is shown to a normal human being, Tetsuo, just how demis are pretty much different, yet still the same as to human beings. That even though demis will have different natures, they all have a similar human-like characteristic whoever and whatever they are and that is, human emotions.



The show uses their emotions as a way to move the story and develop the characters throughout the show and let me tell you that the dynamics are beautiful to watch.



It is a guy like Tetsuo is what we should achieve - someone eager to know more about the marginalized people in the society, the outcasts and the ones that we usually ignore. For it is by knowing others that we get to learn how to live with them in peace.

I really like how this show also mixes all that seriousness with very comedic scenes. Some contain double entendre which is very funny. But at the same time, doesn't mess with the overall message of the plot.

Yes, this show doesn't have harem in it's labels. But even so, Tetsuo actually builds a small harem of people who look up to him and admire him which is such a sight to see knowing that the admiration these people have for him is for his eagerness to learn more about them as well as his current profound knowledge for their kind.

  
Of course, any post of mine about anime will not end without me acknowledging the theme songs. The opening song is good but what astounds me is the ending theme. The ending theme of this show is one of my absolute favorite ending themes for the winter 2017 season. Here's a link to the video:

I have a few reasons why I love this theme song. First, I really love the mood and the tone of the song. It makes you feel relaxed and calmed - after all, this is a really heartwarming anime and what a better way to close off an episode than a closing theme that will strum your heartstrings.  The second reason why I love this is the visuals! Given the visuals are creative already, the directing of the clip gives off a playful vibe and will definitely give you a smile on your face or will make you tear up (which happens to me) and which will finally lead us to next big reason. And that is, this song is done by Sangatsu no Phantasia. YES, it is THE Sangatsu no Phantasia that did one of my all-time favorite anime's ending theme songs and that is Kiznaiver! That show was also given a title as my spring 2016 highlight last year! Coincidence? I think it's fate. Sangatsu no Phantasia is an underrated group that really deserves more. Because of this reason, though the song is a very cheerful song, it makes me teary-eyed at some episodes.



Okay, I got a little sidetracked there.


To sum up the reasons why I love this show and to why you should give it a shot is that every single episode is truly heartwarming. You will clearly see beautiful character development throughout this 12 episode show. Before I even realized it, my love for the characters are only ever-growing as it progressed.

The show knows how to deliver an inspiring message after every episode and will make you think of how much this applies to the world today and to your surroundings. Some episodes will also make you think of how life is actually a very beautiful thing.

And honestly, I couldn’t think of another anime that can describe and explore these themes wholeheartedly more better than this show.

Hello guys and I'm finally back. Just a quick announcement before I start discussing the topic at hand, I just want to go ahead and tell you that I'll be officially (!?) moving to Wordpress starting next spring season which is really close. The reasons are stated on my very first post there (which is already published by the way). Don't worry though, I'm not literally moving away from this blogging platform though because I'll still continue writing on my personal blog here. I'm just moving my anime blog to a different platform. That said, I am not gonna export all my posts here to there and I'll let them stay here as a memento. It's really weird though because just when I was about to celebrate my first year anniversary as an anime blogger here did I decide to move lol oh well that's life. I will be keeping you guys updated when I'll officially start blogging on Wordpress.

So that's it for the short introduction, I'll then proceed with the actual quick review for the anime!

Edogawa Ranpo is one of Japan's most famous writers/novelist in the mystery genre. He is so well-known that it isn't a bit surprising to see anime shows adapted based from, or at least inspired, by his works. A few of these shows are Detective Conan, The Files of Young Kindaichi, Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace (aired in 2015) and now, Trickster.

Edogawa Ranpo is so famous that he even has a main character named after him. *cough* Bungo Stray Dogs *cough*.

Trickster is based on 2 of Edogawa Ranpo's novels namely the "Boys' Detectives Club" and "The Fiend with Twenty Faces".

TAKE NOTE: This will be a SPOILER-FREE review so take it easy for I won't spill out the beans.




Background:

Trickster is a fall 2016 anime that went on for 24 episodes and ended just yesterday, March 28 2017. It wasn't originally a part of my fall 2016 watchlist but I had the urge to start watching it after seeing a few screencaps of it in my Twitter timeline.
.
Thoughts/Opinions:

STORY

First let's start off by discussing the story.

Story-wise, the premise sets up a very interesting environment for the story. I’m a huge sucker for all things mystery so it didn’t take me too long to get into Trickster’s world.



At first, we were met up with the episodic structure of the show, wherein the protagonists solve different cases per episode which will definitely remind you of Detective Conan. However it doesn’t, for me, because it actually reminds me of Totally Spies, you know that Disney Show back when I was a kid. Nevertheless, I do enjoy that.

As the show went on, it started taking a different turn and started to go straight into the real underlying plot of the story - something to do between the main detective of the Boys’ Detectives Club, Akechi Kogorou against the supposed antagonist, the Fiend with the Twenty Faces, which is actually a very long name to address in this review frequently so let’s just call him Twenty Faces.

It also showed us that a potential character for the plot to move is obviously, the main character Hanasaki as well as this very interesting fella with a very interesting perspective on life, Kobayashi. Oh and that includes their relationships with each other as well.

As the show went on midway, several puzzle pieces of the story is slowly, but surely, getting fixed one by one which is very nice to see because you can clearly see the development in a non-rushed way but one thing I noticed is that as soon as the first piece of the small puzzle is finished, another random puzzle suddenly appears.

Because of this, the story gets messed up and tangled in a web and is very different from what you think the real goal of the show was in the first place.

The show delves itself into several random problems and conflicts that the characters go through and will make you think that it’s something really useful in the long run but sooner or later, you began to question if those conflicts were even necessary because in the end, little of those said things aren’t showing up in the next episodes and though some of it may be talked about, it was taken lightly as if it was not really a big deal which is really ironic because the show TOOK it's time to solve those.


That’s actually a minus-side to the show as the overall plot is getting mixed and mashed hoping that it’d be interesting, and it actually IS, but ends up failing as nothing is produced properly. The anime even left ALOT of plot holes.



ART

Upon initial watch of the first episode, you will be greeted with a city-like feel for it's setting and this show's use of high contrast colors give a proper urban feeling to the said city. It's clearly doing well for the setting.



As for the designs of the characters, they weren't really special. They do however helped in making the characters more distinct as the designs were very unique with all of the characters. But again, if you were to look at it as a whole, who needs an over-designed character when the setting is in an urban-area and you're dealing with mysteries in the city here. I think it was good enough considering the physical location of the story.



















Background designs were average as well in terms of the city but like what I said earlier, it was just right considering the whole vibe of the show.

I would have given this show a slightly above average rating for the art aspect if it wasn't for this factor...

Even though the studio probably knew the restrictions placed upon them when they were designing the art styles of the characters and the sceneries of the urban place, they were brilliantly creative enough to think of something else to go a little more with the design and that is the sceneries of the sky. The view of the sky at night was creatively done and will leave you a feeling elegance with how they designed it. They were so creative with the color palletes and that helped compose beautiful imagery.

Just look at this! This screencap isn't even HD, what more will you get if you watch the real thing in 1080/720p!? Oh and I didn't take the screenshot by the way.

SOUND

Sound wise, the OST was not bad but I wouldn't say it's something special. It did do well with the action scenes as well as those scenes whose aim is to produce a feeling of suspense.

Voice actors did their job well, they really poured out the desired emotions needed at all of the lines. They really knew how to act their character well.

Now let's go to my favorite part of this topic: the theme songs!

Okay, there was no need for that short build-up, I'm gonna dive straight into it. I'm not exaggerating when I say that all of the show's OP and ED themes were very brilliant!

First opening of Trickster is "Kimi dake no Boku de Iru kara" and is sung by GACKT. It ran from episode 1 thru 12.

This song definitely sets up the mood of the show. I'm not good with actually picturing what vibe this music gives me but it definietely matched the urban/mystery feel of the show. It sounds a bit throwback-ish as well. The visuals upon first watch is very average. Although the last few seconds turned my whole first impression of it upside-down as the OP theme left me a heartwarming feeling as that part was surprisingly well put-together. That bit literally caught me by surprise.

It made me feel as if it's gonna make me cry when I watch the last episode knowing this character's different perspective on life.



First ending of Trickster is titled "1HOPE SNIPER" and is sung Azusa Tadokoro. And if you don't know, I just literally became a huge fan of Azusa Tadokoro this year with her catchy theme songs and her voice acting skills. Anyways, this ending theme was literally perfect for the first few episodes of the show because it'll leave you feeling badass after an episode's worth of solving mysteries and kicking the bad guys' butts. The visuals were A+


Of course, the audio in the video was altered/modified as to avoid copyright. 

The second opening theme of the show is titled "Unmei Dilemma" by Azusa Tadokoro and it ran from episode 13 thru the last episode, episode 24. Visuals wise, it was basically like the first opening theme's visuals, when the chorus hits however is when all these movements happen that is in sync with the beats of the song. I don't really know but Japanese people really know how to make movements in an anime theme song match well with the song itself. Song wise, it showcases Azusa Tadokoro's signature rock-style. I think it really matched well for the second half of the show because that half of the series is when everything starts getting serious.


And lastly, the second ending theme of Trickster is called "Tsumi no Keishou: Original Sin" and is sung by GACKT again. The song's feel will really remind you of the first opening. This ED theme's vibe will give you a feeling of eerieness which is perfect after an episode when the show will drop something for a cliffhanger. Visual wise, all I could say is that it was above average. Though there won't be much movement, it was still designed well. 

The ending visuals changes every after 3 episodes.


Just a short trivia, after noticing that Azusa and GACKT were just switching roles for the themes, at first I was just pleasantly surprised but as soon as the show went on to the latter episodes, I discovered something pretty interesting with it. But of course, I won't say it.



CHARACTER

Character wise, everyone in the supporting cast did it’s part. The main characters, however, were very disappointing. All of them developed (or did they?). I didn’t feel any real authentic development as it went on and it felt very weird to see it.

Let’s just say it was not properly timed? And it was quite instantaneous and awkward.

The main character is Hanasaki and he's supposed to be this very jumpy and happy-go-lucky character that’s always so cool as he goes on around kicking everyone’s butt. He was very interesting in the start because I knew that he’d be the one to give a comic relief to this show.

However, one thing changed midway through the series. Of course I won’t tell the episode nor the arc but these groups of episodes really made me feel mixed towards the way the show treated him as a character.

At first I was very happy when it started because I was relieved to see that we were finally getting some direction for this main character to grow. But as it went on, it was like the director of the show is playing with my feelings as to whether or not I should feel sympathetic for him, which I did feel in the beginning, or if I should feel irritated. They didn’t handle his character well in that arc which was very disappointing. What’s even more disappointing was how they “resolved” this chance for a character development. Like what I said, I felt that it was rushed and I didn't feel that anything was resolved properly.

Another bad thing is Akechi Kogorou’s character. I just don’t get him. I know that he’s the one getting the most spotlight because the show flashed us with a lot of his back stories but I just didn’t get to sympathize with him. It maybe be a personal reason exclusive for me but his personality is not likeable.

To be honest, this show could add a "psychological" tag to it's genre because I feel that this anime has that aspect.

Some supporting characters can get very irrational as well. For instance, this guy named Inoue. He’s supposed to be logical and stuff but in the same arc where I sympathized with Hanasaki, this guy totally went out of his character all of a sudden and it made me go like “wat”. He did however became a bit better in the latter episodes so I forgave that bit.

Another character that I didn't get was Nakamura. Her quick personality-change was very sudden too.

I don’t have problems with the rest:

1. Noro was very helpful to the team.

2. Ohtomo was very funny.

3. Katsuda did his part.

4. Yamane Tasuku, my favorite, underwent this precious character development that I adored.

5. Kobayashi was amazing.

Let’s talk about Kobayashi. Though his character’s history was not fully explored properly, he was one of the more interesting characters there. His different perspective on life gave the show a slightly unique taste. I really wished that we could’ve known more about him as he’s one of the characters that was done much more well above the others.


ENJOYMENT

Though it has alot of weaknesses and bad points, it doesn’t entirely mean it’s a very bad show as it also has it’s fair share of good points.

Remember that good characters or a good story isn't what's needed to enjoy a show. Personal enjoyment is something that's subjective and it should evoke from yourself. It doesn't require a good technical score review. Heck, I don't think that there even is a correct review because all reviews, including the ones I write, are based on the respective writer's personal thoughts.

I actually, believe it or not, for the most part enjoyed this show. 

I won’t be obsessed to recommend it to my friends but it’s not something I’d tell people to NOT watch either. It’s not very good but it’s not that bad! Check it out if you have the time.

If you're into mystery stories and just want something to watch to pass time? Give this a try.

Don't expect something legendary in it.



Well, that's it for this review. I was really surprised it turned out to be really long because I expected this to be really short. I hope you enjoyed reading and I'll see guys again, soon!





Author's Note

I still got a few posts due for this blog before I can completely transition to wordpress and these are the posts that you can expect from me before I move.

1. The Winter 2017 highlights. Yes, believe it, I DO have a winter 2017 anime that I want to share.
2. Top winter 2017 openings and endings. I'm almost done with them, just wait.
3. The BEST of The Metropolis Mind - A 1-year anniversary post special.
4. My LOOTCRATE! LOL I'm not sure if I'm still within the deadline (if there IS a deadline) but I couldn't find the time to properly sit down and list all of the items so whether or not my entry will still be a part or not, it won't matter and I'll do it just for fun!
5. Once all that is finished, I'll then write a pack-up post for my new blog!

Hey guys! So I finally finished editing and uploading my top 100 anime openings of 2016! Phew, that was a lot of work. Anyways, here's the link. Hope y'all enjoy!

I'm back for another post! As you can probably see, I've changed my layout. Because of that, I'm not yet finished customizing my menus so that'll probably be fixed ASAP!

A new season has begun and therefore, more new anime to start watching. My initial plan is to finish up all of the shows that I'm still currently watching in order to be much more organized (which I, actually, was able to do) and now my watchlist of ALMOST cleared to add up new animes.

I'm sorry because this post is delayed since we're already mid-way through the Winter 2017 season so I'm gonna make up for that by adding interesting stuff to this post. Not only will this post showcase watchlist, it also contain my first impression review! Hurray! Without any further ado, let us start with my Winter 2017 watchlist!

First up on the list, we have....

"Masamune-kun no Revenge"

"As a child, Masamune Makabe once suffered greatly at the hands of a wealthy and beautiful girl named Aki Adagaki, who nicknamed him "Piggy" due to his chubby appearance. Seeking revenge against his tormentor, Masamune works hard to improve himself and returns as an incredibly handsome, albeit narcissistic, high school student. When he encounters Aki once again, he is prepared to exact vengeance. With the aid of the rich girl's maid, Yoshino Koiwai, Masamune slowly begins to build his relationship with Aki, intending to break her heart when the time is right. However, as his friendship with Aki begins to grow, Masamune starts to question the objectives of his devious plans, and if bringing them to fruition is what his heart truly desires."

The first episode really set up my expectations pretty high because the "revenge" aspect of the show sparked interest in me and made me thought: "How is this gonna unfold?" but as I watched the succeeding episodes, I feel that it's not going to go the way I expected it to happen and made me feel that it'll fall into "another one of those cliche romance" stories. I'm losing hope. OP is average, ED is brilliant. Rating: 7/10

Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil)

"On the front lines of the war, there is a little girl. Blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain white skin, she commands her squad with lisping voice. Her name is Tanya Degurechaff. But in reality, she is one of Japan's most elite salarymen, reborn as a little girl after angering a mysterious being who calls himself God. This little girl, who prioritizes efficiency and her own career over anything else, will become the most dangerous being amongst the sorcerers of the imperial army."

Heard the OP before watching this one out so let me just say this first and that is, the OP theme is so good! The show's first few episodes were really interesting, I must say. Tanya's character and personality, itself, will really make me you want to find out more about her. Overall, this show gave me a really good impression. Gonna look forward to the next episodes! I haven't heard the ED theme yet (but I've been hearing lots of good things about it). Rating: 8/10

"Kuzu no Honkai (Scum's Wish)"

"To the outside world, Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya are the perfect couple. But in reality, they just share the same secret pain: they are both in love with other people they cannot be with. Hanabi has loved her childhood friend and neighbor Narumi Kanai for as long as she can remember, so she is elated to discover that he is her new homeroom teacher. However, Narumi is soon noticed by the music teacher, Akane Minagawa, and a relationship begins to blossom between them, much to Hanabi's dismay. Mugi was tutored by Akane in middle school, and has been in love with her since then. Through a chance meeting in the hallway, he encounters Hanabi. As these two lonely souls spend more time together, they decide to use each other as a substitute for the one they truly love, sharing physical intimacy with one another in order to stave off their loneliness."

Really interesting premise, has a fresh concept and is excellent in showing a mature outlook on love, romance and relationships. The first few episodes will blow your mind away, if not the first episode itself, may it be because of it's massive "love tree", it's explicit graphics (yep, some manga readers were saying that they were happy that "those scenes" weren't tone down from the source material). OP is brilliant, ED is outstanding. Rating: 9/10

"Demi-chan wa Kataritai (Interviews with Monster Girls)"  

"The story takes place in an age where "Ajin" (demi-human), more casually known as "Demi," have slowly started to become accepted into human society. Tetsuo Takahashi is a biology teacher who ends up teaching three such Demi, hoping to understand more about them while also managing to catch their attention."

A simple anime that is a lighthearted one. This is easily one of my candidates for my most favorite anime of this season. The pace and how the story goes by is as smooth as a sailboat sailing on a calm sea under a clear weather. It's a treat! Go ahead and try it! OP is slightly above average, ED is so brilliant gaah (I love Sangatsu no Phantasia)! Rating: 8.5/10

"Spiritpact (Ling Qi)"

"Heir of an old famous family of exorcists, Keika You is stricken by poverty after losing his parents. He struggles as a street fortune teller and computer recovery part timer to earn money. One night in a junkyard, he meets the mysterious yet charismatic exorcist, Ki Tanmoku, fighting an evil spirit. This encounter is the beginning of a fated story for Keika You. Unfortunately for him, he was actually hit by a car and became a ghost. That was when the handsome exorcist Ki appeared and asked Keika to make a “pact” with him to fight evil spirits together. Here starts the friendship of our heroes!"

The first episode gave me a bad impression. The animation was a bit weird and off and that also includes the effects placed around the villains and the characters were also uninteresting. Even so, I told myself that I'd never drop this one because I wanna stick with it to see the BL. The story pacing is pretty slow but they didn't disappoint me with the BL. I got used to the animation and now I can see it as just average. The characters grow, I guess, little by little. And overall it has become a pretty bearable show for me to watch. I not only enjoyed the BL scenes but I also liked the cute & comedic moments done by the characters (though some are applied in the wrong timing which can probably annoy some people). Bottomline, I enjoy it and I can, personally, see this show growing slowly, yes, but surely! OP is spectacular, ED is below average. Rating 7/10

P.S: I read this blog post in someone's blog a few weeks back that said that even though Spiritpact's first episode is bad, Spiritpact is actually a good show. That blog post also made me feel like sticking with it.

"Little Witch Academia"

"Atsuko Kagari is an ordinary girl who joins the renowned witch academy for witch girls, Luna Nova Academy. When she was younger, she went to Magical Festa, a magic show hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Atsuko was so mesmerized and inspired by Shiny Chariot's performance that she dreamed to someday be a "cool" witch like her. This young and impressionable Atsuko takes Shiny Chariot's words as her own motto: "Never forget, a believing heart is your magic.“ As part of a class, Atsuko and her classmates go into a labyrinth under the Tower of Luna Nova. There, a sealed ancient dragon was unleashed by one of her classmates. Atsuko tries to stop the dragon, but…"

One of the shows that I was most hyped about! It's by Studio Trigger and if you don't know, I love Trigger! Anyways, let's just say that they are doing a brilliant job with this show so far. Everything's episodic, there's not really much of an underlying plot going on. The whole story is really easy to digest. This show makes me feel good. The characters are really interesting and unique - all of them has their own quirks. I can't wait to see more episodes. Go check it out! OP & ED is really beautiful! Rating: 9.5/10.

Now, those are the shows that I'm currently watching. But I actually have a few more that I'm planning to watch! These are:


1. Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

2. Tales of Zestiria the X 2nd Season

3. ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka

4. Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari

5. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen

6. Super Lovers 2 

My watchlist is basically all of these but, they're not LIMITED. I may, or may not, add a show here and there when I feel like it.

Anyways, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys on my next post.

What are you guys watching for this season?



*ALL ANIME SYNOPSIS WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR MYANIMELIST ENTRY*



Authors Note:

1. I'm finally done with this post. Yay!

2. My next priority are my top theme songs.

3. I'm thinking of creating a wordpress version of this blog sometime soon. It's not yet final though because I know that I already have a lot too handle!

So hello and welcome back! So basically, I'll be here to share you my top anime picks from last year. The list will be divided into seasons and these will be subdivided into 3 - the best, my most favorite and the most underrated. So without any further delay, here is the list.

Take note, this is just my opinion! So your idea on the best show may be different from mines.

WINTER 2016

THE BEST...

"BOKU DAKE GA INAI MACHI" (Erased)

MOST FAVORITE

"HAI TO GENSOU NO GRIMGAR" (GRIMGAR OF FANTASY AND ASH)

MOST UNDERRATED

"SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU"

Other special mentions from this season: 1. Ajin

 

SPRING 2016

THE BEST...

"RE:ZERO KARA HAJIMERU ISEKAI SEIKATSU"

MOST FAVORITE

"KIZNAIVER"

MOST UNDERRATED

"SHOUNEN MAID"

 

Special mentions from this season include: 1. Boku no Hero Academia

SUMMER 2016

THE BEST...

"91 DAYS"

MOST UNDERRATED

"NEJIMAKI SEIREI SENKI: TENKYOU NO ALDERAMIN" (Alderamin on the Sky)

 

Special mentions from this season include: 1. NEW GAME!

 FALL 2016

THE BEST...

"BUNGOU STRAY DOGS SEASON 2"

MOST FAVORITE

"YURI!!! ON ICE"

MOST UNDERRATED

"FUNE WO AMU"

 

Special mentions from this season include: 1. MAHOU SHOUJO IKUSEI KEIKAKU

Hello everybody and a happy new year to all! I will be trying my best to put up at least 2 posts today: this and my top or shall I say, my favorite animes of 2016! Now let's begin with this first post of the new year!


Just so you know, for this post, I won't be giving my thoughts on them individually. I'll just show you the scores my top openings/endings got in my top list. I will be giving my thoughts on the top 5 though!

My criteria is as follows!

I rate their (1.) Song, (2.) Visuals, (3.) Symbolism, (4.) Feelings & (5.) Overall Enjoyment from 0 to 100 and then I count their average scores.

Here are my top Fall 2016 Anime Openings video:



Quick discussion on the Top 5:

Top 5 - 3-gatsu no Lion OP - This was actually unexpected to be honest. I, at least, thought that Sousei no Onmyouji would beat this song for the Top 5 spot and that Fune wo Amu would beat this OP by a decimal. Oh well! It does deserve it's top 5 position though, check it out!

Top 4 - Bungou Stray Dogs S2 OP - I, slightly, expected this OP to be within the top 10 and not top 5 so yeah. This OP is really epic though so you better check this one out too!

Top 3 -  Naruto Shippuden OP 20 - On my very first listen to this, I got goosebumps. Mainly because I love Naruto (and ALL of their OPs) but also because this song sounded so fresh among all of the other theme songs Naruto released so I definitely felt hyped. It's visuals really matched the song as well. It really deserved top 3, in my opinion!

Top 2 - Flip Flappers OP - I also expected this one to be within my top 3. My first listen on the song also gave me goosebumps. The visuals were so outstanding as well! Overall, it felt so... legendary? Though there is an even more legendary OP this season has released and that is...

Top 1 - Yuri!! On Ice OP - I expected it. I saw it coming through. The first time I heard this, I knew that this would be my top 1! It's just good! You better watch it!

Now let's proceed to my Top Endings list

Looks can deter but content will always prevail, that is one of the things that always surprises me when I watch anime. I, personally, find that anime with good art style and good animation quality pretty much one of the huge factors, if not the main one, that can turn an anime into something pretty likeable and enjoyable. Though I like to look at the facade of the show, I find that the story, at the end of the day, will still be the judge whether or not a show will be a potential favorite of mine.

Ajin, a Winter 2016 anime, is the perfect example that underwent the road down to proving that though bad looks may put you off, the story can turn it around and make the adventure an even better ride than you'd expect it will.




This will be my review on the first "cour" of Ajin. Take note, I'm technically reviewing a first season but I find that "cour" is a much better term as the first season ends on an open one which doesn't completely make it a standalone anime.

Oh and also, this will just be a quick review on this.


Background:

Ajin is a part of my winter 2016 watchlist - which contains shows I'm trying to catch up that were a part of this year's winter lineup.
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Thoughts/Opinions:

Let's get started with the review. First things first, I was put off by how the CGI was done. It wasn't eye-catchy at all. It was my first time to watch something done in full CGI so it might be because of that but I just didn't find it pretty attractive. I got mixed impressions when the whole show started


First, let's start with the animation and art style. For the first episode, it really gave me a bad impression. The CGI looks so choppy at times and I don't know if it's just because of my computer but it was really not a treat for my eyes. A few months ago before watching Ajin, I was already watching a show which implements the usage of CGI (it's Tales of Zestiria the X by the way) and that show's CGI was very beautiful. That show set the standards pretty high in terms of CGI usage and watching Ajin's first episode really wasn't good.




Second, I'll talk about it's OST. This will be pretty short & simple because I didn't find the OST really memorable to be honest. It did it's job well and was decent enough but it isn't something off-excellent quality. The background music played however at the more intense scenes of the show were really effective. With that being said, the opening and ending theme songs were MAGNIFICENT. They were both really good songs that matched the mood of the whole show (go check them out because they're really good).




Third, let's talk about the characters and the story of this show. For me, this is where the show outdoes the bad impression set about by the looks of this show. The concept, though may not be original - a boy gets to become something everyone despises (ehem Tokyo Ghoul), the premise however - a boy who's become despised by everyone (except for his best friend) becomes a selfish person as he avoids battles and uses people, if the situation comes down for it, just for the sake of his own survival - was rather interesting. Which then brings us to talk about more in the subtopic - the characters.


The characters are what shines in this show. The characterization of the main character as well as the other side characters makes this show really interesting to watch. In fact both the story and the characters are the factors that helped me in finishing the first season of this because they always keep you on your toes - not knowing what move/deed will they do next.


Adding personal opinion on this review, the characters tend to annoy me sometimes but I guess that proves how effective they really are. Another note worth mentioning for this show is that the side characters (most especially the antagonist) are the ones getting the most focus rather than the protagonist in this first season (though that is not to say that the protagonist doesn't get it's fair share of screen time).


Overall this show is quite good. If you're looking for a nice story with really good characters then you should try this one out. If you're looking for something your eyes can feast on, I'm sorry but this show might not be for you (unless you like watching choppy CGI then you'll like this he he).


The season two, or shall I say the second cour, just finished airing I think? So I'm off to start watching it within the next few days/weeks and I will probably be giving my part two review on this after watching that.

Expectations for season 2? I don't know because I'm probably going to dive in there blindly hoping that it'd surprise me. I am low-key expecting for more character and plot development though.


Anyways, that's all for now and I'll see you guys on my next post (which will probably be my Top Fall OPs and EDs)



Authors Note:

1. It has been a long time since I last posted and now I'm finally back! This has been in my drafts for a solid few months now and I took a break from writing because I wanted to focus more on my videos as well as catching up with anime.

2. From what I said earlier, I took a break from writing and because of that, my writing skills will probably be a bit off unlike the last time so please bear with me as I try to ease up back into how I usually write. Thanks!