JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Promised Neverland – First Impressions

WARNING – THE PARTS IN BOLD CARRY A SPOILER OF THE EPISODES, SO BE CAREFUL

Hello guys.

Welcome to another entry of Jainituos Anime Reviews.

You know? Personally, one of the things that I cherish the most about both manga and anime is that they always find new ways to be original, to create an interesting plot with fascinating characters and a powerful atmosphere that hooks you, almost immediately, to the point that you cannot wait until the next week’s episode and see what’s gonna happen next.

And for me… one of those animes… is The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku No Neberando in Japanese).

Based on the manga written by Kaiu Shirai, and illustrated by Posuka Demizu, The Promised Neverland takes place in 2045, at the Grace Field House, an orphanage where our main protagonists, Emma, Norman and Ray live among with their other 37 siblings; the orphanage gives them everything (And I mean everything), gourmet food, clean clothes, soft and warm beds, and the unconditional love of their «Mama», Sister Isabella.

As long as they never cross the «gate», they should be fine.

The perfect life… Or is it?

One day, one of the orphans, Conny, gets adopted and leaves the House, but she accidentally leaves her stuffed animal behind, which is why Emma and Norman try to reach her in time. However… they cross with the terrible truth. Conny was killed and sold to some «demons» for food, and Grace Field House is actually a «Farm», and the Orphans are «Cattle» for these demons, and that Isabelle is loyal to them. So now they have to find a way to escape, along with their siblings before the next shipping date arrives.

First and foremost, I think the first episode sets a pretty start, showing us how the orphans live, how close they are toward each other, and especially how Isabella treats them. Emma and Norman are extremely likeable characters, especially when…

SPOILER ALERT…

ALL THE KIDS GO TO PLAY TAG AND WHEN ARE QUALIFIED IN THE TESTS BY ISABELLA. IT APPEARS THAT EMMA, RAY AND NORMAN GOT THE HIGHEST SCORES.

HOWEVER WE DO NOT SEE MUCH OF RAY YET, AND THE LOOKS OF ISABELLE WHEN SHE MEETS THE DEMONS, AND FINDS THE STUFFED ANIMAL OF CONNY BELOW THE TRUCK IS PRETTY TERRIFYING, AS WELL AS THE EYES AND THE FANGS OF THE DEMONS.

END OF SPOILER

In other words, Episode I (titled 121045 by the way) brilliantly tells us exactly what do we need to know about the whole premise; moreover, right from the start, that the setting is kind of dystopic, the anime does not tell that directly, but, despite the subtlety, you discover it. And this is other things I love about Episode I, it’s simplicity. As previously mentioned, a few elements, good writing, simple plot and balanced pacing, they delivered a very good introduction to The Promised Neverland. 

And despite the dark tone of the anime, there is a bit of comedy, especially when Emma does weird faces

Now, Episode II, named 131045, is basically Emma and Norman trying to figure out how to escape, the challenges, the things they need, all that while avoid any kind of suspicion, especially from Isabella.

SPOILER ALERT.

HERE, EMMA AND NORMAN REALISE THAT ALL OF THE ORPHANS HAVE TRACKING DEVICES, AND THAT RAY KNEW EVERYTHING. ALSO, THE FACES THAT ISABELLA DO WHEN SHE IS NOT SMILING ARE PRETTY TERRIFYING, AND THE ENDING, WHEN RAY, NORMAN AND EMMA ARE SCARED OF THE ARRIVAL OF SISTER KRONE, GIVES YOU GOOSEBUMPS. 

AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. RAY WAS RIGHT. «AN ALREADY DIFFICULT ESCAPE IS NOW MORE CHALLENGING THAN EVER»

Both episodes I and II are based in Volume 1, Chapter 1 and 2 from the manga. And the studio in charge of the adaptation is CloverWorks, already famous for Darling in the FRANXX. And the opening song is «Touch Off» performed by UVERworld, already famous for the song «Odd Future» from the third season of My Hero Academia. And the voice acting cast includes Sumire Morohoshi (Ancient Magus Bride, Little Witch Academia), Maaya Uchida (Highschool DxD, Date a Live II) and Mariya Ise (Oreimo, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress).

In conclusion, The Promised Neverland has the potential to be one of the best anime of 2019. Watch it, and I promise you will meet a new land like you never seen before.

STORY – 8/10

CHARACTERS – 8/10

ANIMATION – 7.5/10

MUSIC – 7/10

 

 

JAINITUOS REVIEWS – BOOGIEBOP AND OTHERS – First impressions

Hey there, folks and bosses.

First and foresmost, I want to wish you guys a Happy New Year 2019. I am confident that all of you guys will make your dreams and resolutions come true. Just hang it there… AND… GANBATE…

Any way, I want to start with a simple anecdote. It was 2001. Bogota, Colombia. I turned on my TV and passed my favourite channel to watch anime; but, to my surprise, I checked out a peculiar anime… BOOGIEBOP PHANTOM. And I though to myself… What is this? Boogiebop Phantom?

And I watched it. Despite watching a few episodes, it left an impression within me that remains until now. An impression that I was unable to fully comprehend.

With that said… Can you imagine my impression when, a few days ago, I saw that there is a second anime of this interesting franchise? BOOGIEBOP AND OTHERS (ブギーポップは笑わない IN JAPANESE)

Based on the best-selling light novels written by Kouhei Kadono, and illustrated by Kouji Ogata, Boogiebop and Others follows that story of a series of mysterious events taking place at the Shinyo Academy, and the appearance of a «shinigami», called Boogiebop, who suddenly appears when these things occur. Our main lead, Seiji Takeda, discovers that Boogiebop is, apparently, an «alternative personality» of his girlfriend, Touka Miyashita. Then while trying to go deep in the true identity of Boogiebop, Takeda and Miyashita discover more people involved in what’s going on, including a «man-eater», an organization, and the loof Nagi Kirima and… Aliens?

I know. I might not be making sense, but trust me when I say that the plot is as convoluted as it gets. But somehow that is one of its strengths. We’ll get there soon.

Produced by Studio Madhouse, which also produced the first anime, this new adaptation is meant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Light Novel. This adaptation will be 18 episodes, and it is intended more of a psychological supernatural thriller, animated in a neo-noir style, with amazing animation and pretty balanced shading. When you see the first episodes, you will noticed that the balance of light and shadow creates the accurate atmosphere; in one scene, Tokyo, is so illuminated and colourful, but not too much to preserve the mystery tone, and in other, the shading brilliantly covers some areas of the angle, in order to create a suspenseful aura.

And this is just the first episode. Like I said, the plot can be a bit convoluted, but the characters are so interesting that you want to know more about them, especially Nagi Kirima when she is wearing her leather clothes (No questions asked). And if that was not enough, rest assured that Kirima’s appearance on the opening will hook you almost immediately.

We still have seventeen episodes to go through, and to know more about the plot and Boogiebop herself; in addition, the novels are so interesting (despite I only checked the first three, including Boogiebop Returns: VS Imaginator). So there is so much material for Boogiebop and Others, to make a cult classic. I do not want to spoil too much from the first episode, but I would like to recommend you to watch all of it, mostly because if you miss a bit for the anime, you might not understand what is happening in the second episode, and if I summarise the first episode, you will not get the whole picture either.

It’s better to see it by yourself. One great example of an anime that combines fantasy, drama and mystery so beautifully is Erased, or Boku gake na Inai Machi, where the story masterfully develops in a way we sympathise with the characters, to the point that we cannot stop thinking what is going to happen to them, making us see the entire episode.

Moreover, the voice acting is pretty good, in fact, you will notice Ayana Taketatsu, who voices Leafa/Suguha, in Sword Art Online. Furthermore, Aoi Yuki voices Touka/Boogiebop, Reina Kondou voices Kazuko Suema, and Nagi Kirima is voiced by Saori Onishi (Aiz Wallenstein, DanMachi). All of them are professional seiyuu, and all of them put their effort and soul to create great performances.

The opening song is performed by Myth & Roid, who gets another hit with Shadowgraph. (For those who do not know, M&R also performed other great openings, such as We’re Jingoes from Saga of Tanya the Evil, and Voracity from Overlord III)

In conclusion, BOOGIEBOP AND OTHERS proved to have a great start. Let’s see how the rest of this powerful anime unravels to all of us.

STORY – 7/10

CHARACTERS – 7/10

ANIMATION – 8.5/10

MUSIC – 8/10

ZOMBIELAND SAGA… Or how to stop worrying, and love Zombie Idols. (WORK IN PROGRESS)

You know… I am a very fan of zombies myself, and I have watched a lot of movies, played many games, and read many books centered in zombies. (I grew up with Resident Evil, the movies and videogames). And just when I thought I saw everything… I realise that the concept always have a lot of surprises.

And let me tell you… That also applies to Zombieland Saga (And trust me, there is more in the title than meets the eye).

Released past October, and created by CyGames (the same company behind Uma Musume Pretty Derby), Zombieland Saga follows the story of Sakura Minamoto, a high school student who is also an aspiring idol, just when she is about to head to her audition, she is accidentally killed by the car. Then, ten years later, he is resurrected as a zombie, along with another six girls, by a pretty flamboyant producer, called Kotaro Tatsumi, for the simple purpose of «saving Saga» by forming an ultimate Idol Unit. (You read well… Saving Saga).

The rest of the girls are pretty unique (The Biker leader – Saki Nikaido, The 2000’s idol – Ai Mizuno, the courtesan of the Meiji Era – Yugiri, The former Child actress – Lily Hoshikawa, the 1980’s idol, Junko Konno, and… The Legendary Tae Yamada! Really… that’s how she is introduced). But then… Kotaro realises that, since they are zombies, the girls have become hideous man-eating maniacs, and now… He must recruit other survivors to stop them. NO, no, no! Just kidding. There is zero horror in this anime

Let’s call it, a Happy-Go-Lucky Zombie adventure, consisting of a total of 12 episodes, and a manga released on October 8th. The Studio in charge of Zombie Land Saga is MAPPA, which also created great anime like Yuri on ice (2016), Kakegurui (2017), and Terror in Resonance (from Shinichiro Watanabe, the same genius that created Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), all having a great visuals. And with Zombie Land Saga, despite having zombies, has a really wonderful animation as well as nice choreography from the characters, that are as colourful as with animes, such as Love Live franchise or Idolmaster.

And each and everyone of the episodes is headed toward the same purpose, how our beloved seven girls become idols. But that is not all. Throughout these 12 episodes, we know more about our main characters (as well as THE LEGENDARY TAE YAMADA), of basically how they become… You know… Zombies. Furthermore, throughout the anime, you definitely will end up loving either Sakura or Saki Nikaido, whose antics are incredibly hilarious

Goblin Slayer – This time… Dont drop you guard with Isekai (Work-in-progress)

You know, I have mentioned this before, and I will definitely saw it again. I am very open to anime in so many genres!!! And through this last years, I have been witnessing the… quality, to put it in simple terms, on a genre in anime that has been introducing many shows with different perspectives (i.e. Rez;Zero, Konosuba, Overlord, Einherjar, Sword Art Online {Yep, that one too}, Log Horizon, No Game, No Life, Grimgar, etc.) And, to be honest, I was getting use to a certain type of tone.

A light one, especially in Overlord (Don’t ask me why)

But now… there is an anime, based from another light novel, that is, somehow, encouraging me not too  underestimate the sickness of some of the monsters on the genre… To a certain extent.

That is called… Goblin Slayer.

Based on the light novels written by Kumo Kagyu, illustrated by Noboru Kannatuki, and published by SB Creative, the story follows a 15-year-old priestess who, after a disastrous mission in which her party is massacred by goblins, she meets a mysterious warrior who simply calls himself The Goblin Slayer, saves the priestess and form a party. Slowly, she tries to unfold all the secrets of Goblin Slayer, and why he is obsessed to kill every last of these goblins.

The first detail that called my attention is that the studio behind this adaptation is White Fox, the same that created Re:Zero and Steins:Gate (impressive), so they have a folio that we are familiar with.

I already saw the four episode, so I will based this review on what I saw so far.

First and foremost, I am very aware of the hype that this anime provoked because of the… «intense» scenes that supposedly the first episode included. Yeah.

Spoiler Alert – THE RAPE SCENES. SOME FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE RAPED ON THE FIRST EPISODE. End of Spoiler

I must confess that if it wasn’t because of these element, I would thought that, regarding the Isekai genre, Goblin Slayer is just another one of the bunch. My expectations were also sky high, because it will be darker and edgier, like Berserk or Akame ga Kill!

THIS IS WHERE THE DISAPPOINTMENT BEGINS. As a matter of fact, there are two elements that «mortally wounds» the anime of Goblin Slayer.

The first element is the tone. As previously mentioned, there are rape scenes. The only mention of the word RAPE (This is the last time I will use that word), as well of the tension and suspense, should established what kind of anime Goblin Slayer is. In fact, if you go to the Wikipedia article, you will see that the genre is precisely Dark Fantasy, so anyone can expect something like Berserk or Akame ga Kill.

BUT NO.

The other three episodes are basically unimaginative, almost recycled from every Isekai anime (Main characters go to the Guild H.Q.s, Characters have a REALLY long conversation, background story of the setting, and a travel to another random location for a fight). But the other problem is that many of these scenes are so slow-paced that can be extremely boring. And a cheap excuse for gratuitous fanservice from the CowGirl (And no… that is apparently her real name). Of course there are some battles, but there is a word that perfectly describes them… Boring. No.

The second thing I noticed is that the main character have no real names, they are simply called their roles (Priestess, Goblin Slayer, High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, Guild Girl, Cow Girl). Before I express my views regarding this element, I want to say that I really like the designs of the characters, including Goblin Slayer himself. They are unique and go according to what the characters are, especially Lizard Shaman. And I can help to think that High Elf Archer came from a «fusion» between Leafa and Sinon from Sword Art Online.

Having said that, not giving defined names to the supporting cast and the female lead is pointless. I understand that Goblin Slayer should remained unnamed, after all, he is the focus of the anime. The plot should be centred on him and his obsession to slay goblins. What about the other characters? They have no reason to be unnamed.

 

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEW – KAKEGURUI – COMPULSIVE GAMBLER

Hey Guys.

Like I said before, the stories that are coming from Japan in the form of anime and manga are always so interesting and include so many cool elements. And I am not saying this only for the fact that is anime. I am also saying this because of the story, characters, animation, openings, endings, among other things.

Which is why reviewing anime can be very challenging at times. At least what is that I believe. And Kakegurui is one of these situations.

Kakegurui is based on the manga written by Homura Kawamoto, and illustrated by Toru Naomura, released in 2014 and currently of nine volumes. The manga tells the history of the Hyakkaou Private Academy, which is like a mixture of high school and casino. Here, what makes you the best is your academic record. It is your gambling abilities! And if you are in debt and cannot pay back, you will be a slave of your debtor. A Pet (Dog for men, and Cat for women). A pariah to say the least. That is what happens to poor Ryota Suzui, who cannot pay the money he owns to the beautiful, intelligent Mary Saotome, one of the most popular students at Hyakkaou. Naturally everything changes when the new transfer student, Yumeko Jabami, comes to the school, because she adores gambling.

It is not the money what Yumeko wants, it is the thrill and the euphoria of risk.

The best way to describe Yumeko Jabami is like a princess that is always taking the perfect cocktail of Cuban cigars, Red-Bull, weed, Crystal Meth, and sugar when she is the spotlight. Because she is always this «bombastic» face when she gambles (I think someone should tell her to keep her pokerface).

But anyway, I will start with the characters. There are some cool elements on the design, like the school uniforms (Are those jackets made of Velvet? Just wondering), and it looks that they really made a pretty good job with the appearances of our female characters, especially Midari Ikishima (I know I am omitting the male ones, but do not worry, I will get there soon). The problem is that their identities are generic in a way, again, with the exception of Midari. Mary Saotome is the typical blonde school queen who takes advantage of her position with a very ruthless fashion. And yes, I know that she becomes more of an anti-hero who humbles herself, especially after meeting Yumeko, but still her personality does not improve a lot. That is the bad news. And the good news is that she becomes way the most interesting character so far. Even better than Yumeko, as much I hate to say this.

Patience my friends, I will get there soon.

Moreover, Ryota, our male «protagonist», is the typical social awkward student that is there to make our female lead good (Similar to Koukin, from Ikkitousen), at least he is not too perverted. And Yumeko… Okay. I really like her stoic posse every time she gambles (I take back what I say about her. She does have a Poker Face!), and she is always in control of the situation, which is awesome to watch, and the more I see her «orgasmic face», the more I want to know about her. My guilty pleasure.

But the problem that she has is that she has the same expression in the anime. I barely remember any time in which she is genuinely sad, concerned, hopeless…. Human. Well… you are going to see her angry in some episodes, and also a wonderful expression in her face, showing her anger. But even she… MINOR SPOILER – When she becomes a Pet – END OF MINOR SPOILER. Yumeko has the same expression in her face. It makes it difficult to sympathise with her. I know I should relate to her, but I can’t. It is easier to relate to Mary. If the anime took some time to explore the psychological side of Yumeko, it will be better. But it does not.

Overall. our protagonists are kind of bland, with the exception of Mary Saotome.

Speaking of the characters… Hyakkaou Student Council. Our antagonists… They are all a bunch of bastards. (Am I allow to say it directly?)  And that’s good. Because the writers of this anime knew how to make them evil, to the point that we love to hate them (Anyone remember Nobuyuki Sugou from SAO?). They are pretty decent villains, not memorable, but good enough to pray that Yumeko beats them up. Nonetheless, the antagonist that takes the spotlight is Midari Ikishima. Why? Because is crazy in a hilarious way! She is an insane sadomasochist. She plays the Russian Roulette at school. She literally has Russian Roulette at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not as fantastic as Darkness from Konosuba though, but Midari is awesome. Better to see than to describe.

Sorry guys, I know that I got carried away with the characters, but there is so much to say about them. To sum up, either love them or hate them.

And the animation is pretty decent. The creators are MAPPA Co, the same studio behind Yuri on Ice!. And to it’s credit, its colourful in the right moments. i wish it could be a little darker sometimes, and not the lighting department, more like reflecting the seriousness of the situation. For more references, check out episode 6. Good, but not bold animation, pretty disappointing keeping in mind that Kakegurui is a gambling anime; it could bring great moments with the animation, just like Kaiji of JOJO Bizarre Adventure.

The opening is Deal with the Devil, performed by Tia, is a nice song. But personally, it pales when you compare it with other great opening songs, like JINGO JINGO from Saga of Tanya of Evil, The Other Side of the Wall, from Princess Principal, or the whole soundtrack of Cuphead. Needless to say, the same problem happens with the ending.

Finally, despite everything I just said, the whole story feels like a softcore version of Kaiji, especially since Kakegurui does not take too much risks with its animation; for those of us who already seen Kaiji, we will immediately go back there. (Let’s be honest – Who will ever forget ZAWA!!?)

This is what I found Kakegurui challenging, because I had to find the right words to describe each of the elements of the anime. And even then, I might not found those words. Yet, watching Kakegurui was a nice experience. Hopefully you can get a Netflix subscription and watch the whole 12 episodes.

Kakegurui, these words come from the bottom of my heart… Don’t be afraid with a bigger gamble with your second season. Yumeko was not afraid, and you should not be either.

STORY – 6/10

CHARACTERS – 5/10

ANIMATION – 7.5/10

MUSIC – 7.5/10

 

 

Jainituos Anime Reviews – VIOLET EVERGADEN

You know, throughout my life, I  have the opportunity, and the blessing, of understanding that Anime is more than cute magical girls trying to save the world, or Gods of martial arts with wacky hairstyles that always yell, and love to shoot beams that will make the Death Star itself shit its pants (Or Palpatine to look for a new Sith).

Anime is a media that is able to tell wonderful stories and create memorable characters, both relatable enough to hook us and look for more about them.

And Violet Evergarden is one of these stories. Another masterpiece from Kyoto Animation. (Or KyoAni for many «worshippers», myself included)

Violet Evergarden is based on the series of Light Novels written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase, released from 2015 to 2018; and follows our eponymous protagonist, who, after losing her arms during the War, and her beloved commanding officer as well, takes a job as a Auto Memory Doll, who writes for others, regardless education or social position. But there are two problems; Violet is unable to understand other people’s feelings (you can confuse her to a textbook doll), and the only life that Violet knew was war itself. So now Violet must learn to live as both an Auto Memory Doll and as a woman.

The first thing I notice is the animation. Once more, KyoAni has managed to mingle great, fluid animation with fantastic lighting. The setting looks gorgeous, and you feel like you are there, present, filling the sweet touch of the wind, or the calm heat of the sun, much like any other work from KyoAni (including Full Metal Panic). Even if the night comes, it is a true artwork from a professional painter. And the design of the characters is original as it helps us to learn a bit more about them. Not much, but certainly enough.

Speaking of the characters, we have a pretty big cast (Claudia, Cattleya, Iris, Gilbert), which are likeable and make you stick to until the last episode. But the true driving force of the anime is Violet herself. Her struggles, her evolution as character, her devotion to her job, and her past. This is both a hit and a miss. A hit because it creates a perfect tri-dimensional female protagonist that simply becomes of the best of 2018, if not the best, and a miss because it shallows the others, to the point that some fans might consider these supporting cast forgettable (the same problem that happens in many KyoAni work, like Tamako Market)

Now, don’t let this problem distract from the story. This is a tale of a young girl looking for herself (and, funny enough, looking like Saber from Fate/Stay Night), and learning to live with the next client that she meets. And each of the thirteen episodes take us to a marvellous journey of self-discovery, redemption and happiness. And with a subtle storytelling, and conflicts that we could all have at the less expected moment.

And what can I say about the wonderful soundtrack from Evan Call? It is a masterpiece. I would even compare with the impressive work of Alexandre Desplat in The Shape of Water. And I will bet 10 dollars that you will spend hours listening to both the opening and the ending of this anime.

After watching Violet Evergarden, I can say that this is one of the best anime of 2018, even though it only has 13 episodes and an OVA (and the light novels are finished), and possibly the second best anime done by Kyoto Animation, the first one being Love, Chunnibyou and Other Delusions (Sorry guys, I am not a big fan of Haruhi Suzumiya). And everyone who looks for drama anime, will definitely enjoy Violet Evergarden. It definitely is not an anime for everyone, especially those who prefer to watch Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and One-Punch Man, but it is absolutely something that will entertain you, and both make you watch more from Kyoto Animation, and drive you to check what is next from this talented anime studio.

Violet Evergarden, these words come from the bottom of my heart… Thanks for existing and give the World such a beautiful character.

STORY – 10/10

CHARACTERS – 7/10

ANIMATION – 10/10

MUSIC – 10/10

 

 

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