Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety- the two anime seasons, the specials and the movie.
Overview:
Harem anime, am I right? They practically write themselves, and not in a good way. Many examples of the genre use the same old tired formula we've heard a hundred times, and often end without any proper resolution to their plot if there ever even was a plot in the first place. Are you as tired of that kind of anime as I am? If so, then good, because you're going to like "The Quintessential Quintuplets", which doesn't subvert expectations so much as it outright
...
defies them. It proves itself right away to be far from your typical harem anime, and maintains this identity from beginning to end, save for a few bumps along the way.
Story (8/10):
"The Quintessential Quintuplets" primarily follows the viewpoint of Fuutarou Uesugi, a second-year high school student who is rich in brain power but poor in money, with his family currently stuck under a mountain of debt. One day at school, he gets a call from his little sister Raiha, who informs him about a tutoring job that pays five times the typical rate. While Fuutarou is understandably suspicious, his family situation is too dire for him to turn down such an offer and so he applies for the job with minimal hesitation, only to learn the hard way precisely WHY it pays so well- he's not just tutoring his classmate Itsuki Nakano (whom he had an unpleasant encounter with not too long ago) but also her four sisters Ichika, Nino, Miku and Yotsuba, with the five of them being quintuplets, hence the title "Quintessential Quintuplets". Even worse, almost none of them seem to have any interest in studying or learning anything from Fuutarou. As such, it's up to Fuutarou to convince these girls to accept him as their tutor, which gradually evolves into a genuine friendship that may lead to something more down the line.
From the first few episodes alone, you get the impression that mangaka Negi Haruba took a hard look at all the clichés of a typical harem anime and said "Yeah, I'm not doing that." Gratuitous fanservice? None to be found here. Boring, passive male lead? Fuutarou is anything but. One female lead clearly favoured over the others? All the quintuplets are given roughly equal focus. Nobody gets together in the end? We know from the beginning that won't be the case, as the very first episode shows Fuutarou getting married to one of the Nakanos in the future, or should I say the present? Similar to the American TV sitcom "How I Met Your Mother", the entire series is essentially one giant flashback being relived by Fuutarou himself, while the series also gives us snippets in the present where he's about to get married to the love of his life. We also learn in the first episode that the bride is one of the quintuplets, with the driving question of the series being "Which one?" It's not an easy question to answer either, as Fuutarou is almost never shown to particularly favour any of the quintuplets and isn't even interested in dating in the first place. There's also a strong focus on character development, as Fuutarou gradually gets to know each of the five sisters and vice-versa, and the series puts just as much focus on the relationships between the five sisters as it does on their relationship with Fuutarou. Additionally, while there's plenty of downtime as expected of a slice-of-life series, the story always gives the impression of moving forward, in sharp contrast to harem anime's tendency to drag out their story for no good reason.
Even so, while I do certainly appreciate the series getting straight to the point and not needlessly dragging out its story like so many other shows of its kind do, I still couldn’t help but feel that it went a bit too far in the opposite direction at times. While season 1's pacing is pretty much perfect, never lingering on a given arc or plot point for any less or more time than it needs to, season 2 is very rushed in places, with multiple parts going by a little too quickly for my liking and several important incidents being resolved off-screen instead of us actually seeing said resolutions happen. Furthermore, there's a notable time skip between the end of season 2 and the movie, the latter of which serves as the climax of the series, which may confuse a fair number of viewers. Fortunately, this is mitigated somewhat by two special episodes released after the movie which bridge the gap between it and season 2 as well as providing some much needed development, with another two specials serving as an epilogue. Finally, while the ending will definitely not be to everyone's tastes (inevitable considering the genre), my personal opinion of it is that it could have been better, but is satisfying nonetheless.
Art & Animation (8.5/10):
The first season of "Quintuplets" was done by Tezuka Productions, and features a highly detailed and colourful art style with fantastic-looking environments and all of the character models looking distinct from each other, which is especially notable in the case of the quintuplets, who all look identical to each other in-universe to the point that Fuutarou often has trouble telling them apart, as well as minimal fanservice. Season 2, on the other hand, was animated by Bibury Studios, and has a comparatively less detailed, and very different style, with Fuutarou's hair being the most notable difference. The movie, on the other hand, while also animated by Bibury, comes somewhere in-between the two seasons, having the same colours as the second season but being closer in detail to the first.
Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
"Quintuplets" hasn't got an especially notable soundtrack, with there not being any particularly notable tracks that play during the episodes themselves aside from the cheerful and very catchy main theme. The openings and ending themes are great, with the first opening "Gotoubun no Kimochi" and the second ending theme "Hatsukoi" being my personal favourites. The voice acting is fantastic; Jessie James Grelle does a fantastic job as the serious, straight-laced Fuutarou, and all the quintuplets' voice actresses deliver great performances, whether it's Lindsay Seidel as the flirty Ichika, Jill Harris as the abrasive Nino, Felecia Angelle as the gloomy Miku, Bryn Apprill as the cheerful Yotsuba or Tia Ballard as the sensible Itsuki. Among the supporting cast, Dani Chambers is also a standout, with her capturing Raiha's adorable, cheerful personality really well.
Characters (8.5/10):
Harem writers have struggled in the past with writing compelling male leads, with most attempts to differentiate from the usual 'nice guy' shtick resulting in them instead being obnoxious jerks that no girl would fall for. Thankfully, I can say that this is NOT the case with Fuutarou. While he's certainly not the nicest guy you'll ever meet (his first interaction with Itsuki consisting of him coldly rejecting a request to help her study then telling her she'll get fat if she eats too much), a lot of time his annoyance and frustrations with others are very much justified, especially when it comes to trying to get the quintuplets to study and cooperate with him, since their refusal to do so makes the job he was hired to do harder, which in turn makes it more difficult for him to get the money he needs to pay off his family's debt. He also takes any doubt towards his intelligence or abilities very personally, to the point that whenever someone tells him he's all talk, he takes that as a point to prove that he's not. It's also shown that he willingly distances himself from people, as he sees most relationships, particularly romantic ones, as a distraction from his studies. Of course, this is treated as a character flaw, and overtime he learns to stop being so serious and have fun like anybody else his age, as well as beginning to help the quintuplets improve their grades because it's something he genuinely wants to do rather than because he's getting paid for it. Long story short, Fuutarou goes from an anti-social jerk who's too serious for his own good to a much kinder, more cheerful person who learns to genuinely enjoy life, and overtime it becomes clear that the quintuplets are just as good an influence on him as he is on them.
"Quintuplets" has a notably small cast, consisting of Fuutarou, the quintuplets, Fuutarou's sister Raiha and father Isanari as well as a few other characters that show up every now and then, so I'll just stick to talking about the quintuplets. Of the five, my favourite would have to be Miku. Personality-wise, Miku is initially a quiet, submissive girl who rarely smiles and often feels overshadowed by her sisters. However, she's also one of the kinder quintuplets; while initially put off by the idea of having a tutor the same age as her, she quickly accepts Fuutarou once he proves that he has what it takes to teach her. Additionally, despite her self-deprecating attitude, Miku is actually the smartest of her siblings, though this is only by comparison as her grades are still terrible in the beginning. Her favourite subject is history, particularly the history involving shoguns from the Sengoku period (a passion she developed from playing games, surprisingly), something Fuutarou initially uses as a means to break the ice with her and prove that he's worthy of being her tutor. While all of the quintuplets go through their fair share of development over the series, Miku's is by far the most visible, as in later episodes, she actually smiles far more often than not, a sharp contrast to her gloomy, emotionless attitude in the beginning. She also goes from a truly awful cook to good enough that she's able to make food for a school festival. Even more surprising is that her growth ultimately has remarkably little to do with Fuutarou, which is ironic considering her initial attempts to change are specifically to get him to notice her. In short, Miku is not only my favourite of the quintuplets, but also the only one I found myself liking even more than Fuutarou himself.
Then there's Yotsuba, the fourth quintuplet, and also the nicest of them, bar none. While all of the other sisters take a while to accept Fuutarou as their tutor, Yotsuba stands out as the only one to be supportive of him from the very beginning, and tries to get the others to accept him as well. She also has a hard time turning down anyone who asks her for a favour, which turns out to be a bad thing since there are people in the series who try to take advantage of her, though she does learn to stand up for herself and say "No." overtime. Not helping matters is that Yotsuba has a tendency to blame herself whenever something goes wrong with her present, with causes a fair number of problems over the series. Ultimately, while Yotusuba appears cheerful and uber-positive on the surface, it eventually becomes clear that she's hiding a lot of issues behind her smile, and once we learn exactly how she became that way, it casts a large of number of her actions throughout the series in a completely different light than before. There's also Ichika, an aspiring actress who often teases Fuutarou. Ichika was the first of her sisters to be born, and while it may only be by a few minutes, she tells Fuutarou early on that that difference means more than one would think and often acts like a big sister to the others, which is actually pretty refreshing as far as sibling dynamics go. Oftentimes, when a twin is a few minutes older than the other, the "older" twin acts all smug and never lets the "younger" one forget it. That being said, while I did enjoy her as a character overall, her rather questionable actions in one certain arc means I didn't like her nearly as much as Miku, Fuutarou or Yotsuba.
Next up is Itsuki, the youngest of the quintuplets who is ironically also the most sensible. Unlike some of the other Nakanos (at least at first), Itsuki is actually interested in studying, though she doesn't want Fuutarou to help her. While her attitude is understandable given how their first encounter went, overtime it becomes clear that she can only improve so much without somebody to help her, but she's simply too stubborn and proud to admit this, with her taking considerably longer than some of the others to accept him. Itsuki is notable in that, while all of the other quintuplets have a substantial amount of ship tease with Fuutarou, to the point that any one of them could be the bride, Itsuki's romantic feelings are extremely lacking to the point of being non-existent, though not entirely coincidentally she's also the one who goes through the least character development of the five. That said, Itsuki is ultimately not my least favourite of the main characters. That dishonour goes to the second quintuplet and last I have yet to talk about, Nino. Not only does Nino take by far the longest to accept Fuutarou as her tutor, she goes out of her way to sabotage his attempts to tutor the others and basically makes no secret of the fact that she wants him to go away and never come back. Her reasoning is that Fuutarou is an outsider who doesn't belong in her home and will disrupt the bond between her and her sisters. Never mind the fact that they NEED a tutor in order to get their grades up and Fuutarou is not only very much suited for the job, but desperately needs the money, something even Itsuki has the good sense to recognize despite the terrible first impression he made. Nino's early role is overall quite similar to that of Eli Ayase in early episodes of "Love Live!" But while Eli actually made some decent arguments against the formation of a school idol group and ultimately did more to help the others in the long run, Nino's hatred of Fuutarou is completely irrational and only serves to make things more difficult for everyone involved, herself included. Granted, she does go through a lot of growth, but she takes her time getting there, and so she never manages to be any more than the worst of the best.
Enjoyment (8.5/10):
Another thing that separates "Quintuplets" from most other harem anime is that it's genuinely, consistently funny. Not only do all of the girls have some kind of quirk that are guaranteed to give you a laugh or several, but Fuutarou's initial failures at getting the quintuplets' cooperation are just as amusing in their own way, even if you can't help but feel bad for the guy at the same time. Sure, things do get a lot more serious later on, particularly when the girls begin to compete against each other, but overall the series remains very wholesome and heartwarming throughout. Except during the rare times it's not, which will probably hit you hard.
Overall:
"The Quintessential Quintuplets" isn't the best romantic comedy I've seen, but it is nevertheless several cuts above the vast majority of other harem anime you'll find. It has a genuinely good story that's both original and well-told, very likeable characters (even if some of them don't seem that way at first), crisp visuals, fantastic voice acting and a brilliant sense of humour. Long story short, if you're a fan of romcoms or slice-of-life in general, you should definitely consider watching this series, even if you're the kind of person who generally avoids the harem genre like you would a bullet.
Score:
8+8.5+8.5+8.5+8.5=42/50=8.4/10
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Aug 31, 2026
5-toubun no Hanayome
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety- the two anime seasons, the specials and the movie.
Overview: Harem anime, am I right? They practically write themselves, and not in a good way. Many examples of the genre use the same old tired formula we've heard a hundred times, and often end without any proper resolution to their plot if there ever even was a plot in the first place. Are you as tired of that kind of anime as I am? If so, then good, because you're going to like "The Quintessential Quintuplets", which doesn't subvert expectations so much as it outright ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 26, 2026
Kyou kara Maou!
(Anime)
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Overview:
I can definitely say that I've seen a fair number of shows and movies over the years that I ended up enjoying a lot more than I initially thought I would. "Kyou Kara Maou" is an anime that has a lot going against it pretty much from the get-go- it's an isekai with a boy's love harem, three of, if not THE, most controversial anime genres there are. What's more is that it was animated by Studio Deen, meaning it might as well have been made by amateurs as far as the anime community is concerned. Even so, "Kyou Kara Maou" is pretty damn good, ... if mainly in spite of its controversial elements rather than because of them. Story & World (7.5/10): "Kyo Kara Maoh" tells the story of 15-year-old Yuri Shibuya who, after being given a swirly by a gang of bullies, suddenly finds himself transported to a fantasy world populated by both humans and demons, though the only way to tell the two races part is that demons live much longer and can use magic, but otherwise look identical to humans. As if being transported to a new world wasn't surprising enough, Yuri soon after discovers that he is now the new king of the Demon Realm, something he is informed of by his new subordinates Conrad Weller (who also happens to be his godfather) and Gunter von Christ inform him. However, Conrad's half-brothers Wolfram von Bielefeld and Gwendal von Voltaire (with all three being sons of the former queen) are unconvinced that Yuri has what it takes to be their leader, since Yuri quickly proves himself to be kind, pacifistic and preferring to talk things out instead of fighting. Not exactly the right demeanour for the ruler of a nation that's on the brink of war. As such, Yuri will have to prove that he really does have what it takes to be the Demon Realm's new king. The series then follows Yuri and his subordinates as they quell threats in their nation, search for dangerous artifacts and gradually smooth over relationships between their realm and neighbouring countries, all while Yuri tries his hardest to balance his normal life in Japan with his newfound responsibilities as Demon King. While demons may look identical to humans, culture-wise they are very, very different, something the series has a LOT of fun with. For example, slapping a demon across the cheek is seen as a form of asking them to marry you, something Yuri learns the hard way when he slaps Wolfram for insulting his mother. What's more is that his attempts to convince the others that he can't marry a guy since he's straight fall on deaf ears since all demons are bisexual by default. Ultimately, "Kyo Kara Maou!" is first and foremost a comedy, which can admittedly be to its detriment at times; for example, the whole engagement plotline regarding Yuri and Wolfram is played almost strictly for laughs and doesn't really go anywhere (though it does help with Wolfram's character development) and a number of arcs prove to be not-so-important in the long run. One arc has Yuri and the others spend a fair few episodes trying to track down a legendary demonic weapon, only for Yuri to barely use said weapon afterwards since he makes the decision at the end of the arc to be a 'permanent pacifist' as he puts it, something that works in his favour more often than not. That said, while things start off slow, the show starts to become a bit more serious and story-driven around the 30-episode mark, where we get a stronger focus on worldbuilding and the series begins to delve into the history of both the Demon Realm and that of other countries. "Kyo Kara Maou!" gets political too, with the series putting a big focus on Yuri trying to prevent a war between demons and humans and understand the thoughts of both his subjects and those of people in human countries, with one of the major themes being that it's possible for groups of people to live in peace together regardless of their differences or how much bad history there is between them. Additionally, much like Kagome in "Inuyasha", Yuri regularly travels between the demon realm and Earth, with him first entering via a toilet turning out to not be as stupid as it seems since he enters back and forth through any body of water, oftentimes against his will. I won't spoil anything, but I would also like to say that the final 20 episodes or so feel like a huge improvement over earlier ones, as they feel like a culmination of everything the series had been building up to before then, topping things off with a very fitting and satisfying conclusion. As a matter of fact, it may surprise you learn that there's another 39 episodes afterwards, as the 78 episodes I watched wrapped things up so well that I honestly had no idea where it could go next. Art & Animation (8/10): "Kyo Kara Maou!" is animated by Studio Deen, who as I mentioned above are not held in high esteem in the anime community (in fact, their reputation is about as bad as Gonzo's). Despite this, the series does look fairly good overall; the characters and environments are all very well-drawn and detailed and while the animation and special effects are nothing, well, special, they're at least good for what they are. My favourite effect, however, is when Yuri activates his superpowered form, where his hair grows notably longer and he wields extremely powerful magic. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Kyo Kara Maou!" does not have a particularly memorable soundtrack. It's not bad per se, but most of the tracks are the kind of music you could find in so many other fantasy stories. Throughout the show's 78 episodes, there's only one opening and two ending themes, though all of them are at least worth listening to and fit the show's lighthearted, humorous tone, though the second ending theme "Arigatou" is definitely my favourite. The voice acting is generally very good, with my favourite performances being Yuri Lowenthal as Yuri (a rare case of a dub VA sharing his name with his character) and Doug Erholtz as Conrad, though Mona Marshall (Wolfram), Sam Riegel (Gunter) and Dan Woren (Gwendal, a rare leading role for him) deliver fine performances as well. The dub also features a good supporting cast which includes Karen Strassman, Michelle Ruff, Grant George, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Patrick Seitz and Kirk Thornton, making the voice acting pretty solid all around. Characters (7.5/10): From the very first episode, Yuri is shown to be pretty slow on the uptake; when he first enters the Demon Realm, he initially believes that everything going on is part of some elaborate play or theme park attraction, and continues to believe so even after being told what's really going on. He's also incredibly trusting and forgiving, to the point that even his more idealistic subordinates like Conrad think he takes it too far, never mind the more cynical ones like Wolfram. Even so, Yuri is shown to take his duties as a king seriously, increasingly so as the series progresses, as he makes a conscious effort to get to learn about the world and the lives of its people, as while he desires peace, he (rightfully) believes it can only be achieved through understanding and acceptance, not force. There are also times when his desire to give others the benefit of the doubt is justified, especially if you take the time to put yourself in his shoes. Additionally, while Yuri definitely prefers to resolve problems by talking things out (which tends to work more often than you would think), he will fight if he has to; in early arcs, he's dependent on his super form that takes over whenever he's in danger, but as the series progresses he relies on this form less and less, and overtime learns to hold his own without it. Ultimately, while Yuri isn't the most complex lead character out there, and his devotion to pacifism may very well give you a headache, he's nothing if not likeable, and I found him very easy to root for. My favourite character would have to be Conrad, or Conrart as he's officially known, who in addition to being one of Yuri's subordinates also happens to be his godfather, due to meeting and helping his mother before she gave birth to him. While he shares the same mother as Wolfram and Gwendal, his father was a human, meaning he has a demon's long lifespan but no magic ability, though he compensates by being a master swordsman. Due to being a half-demon, he frequently suffered from discrimination from full-blooded demons when he was younger, including from his own half-brothers, and flashbacks to his past show that he was a rather bitter person when he was younger, though becoming Yuri's godfather gave him a purpose and changed him for the better. Due to spending a fair amount of time in Japan, Conrad is familiar with its customs and it's often shown that Yuri is able to be himself the most when around him. However, Conrad doesn't like to be too casual with Yuri, usually calling him "Your Highness" despite Yuri saying he doesn't have to. Additionally, while undeniably the nicest of Yuri's subordinates, Conrad is definitely more realistic than Yuri himself, as he states repeatedly that he's willing to sacrifice anyone for Yuri's sake, though considering Yuri is the important person in his kingdom, this is very understandable. In short, Conrad shares Yuri's kindness, compassion and optimism, but unlike Yuri knows when to tone it down. Then there's Wolfram, the youngest of the three half-brothers and Yuri's fiancée, though neither of them are happy about this at first. In sharp contrast to Yuri and Conrad, Wolfram is generally quite rude and abrasive and has a strong dislike for both humans and half-demons. Hell, he doesn't even like to acknowledge Conrad as his brother, even if he does care about him deep down. He also doesn't like Yuri much at first, repeatedly calling him a "wimp", though he does so less and less as the series progresses. As a full-blooded demon, Wolfram can use magic, with his speciality being fire, which fits with his impulsive, hot-tempered personality. While I didn't like him much at first, he does become a lot more caring and less prejudiced in later episodes, and becomes genuinely open to the idea of peace between demons and humans. That said, his clinginess towards Yuri, which he takes to a ridiculous degree, doesn't get toned down at all over the series (if anything, it gets worse overtime). There's also Gunter, Yuri's advisor and teacher and the only one of his main subordinates to not be a son of the former Demon Queen. While very knowledgeable, Gunter has a highly flamboyant personality, and is by far the most comedic character in the main cast. However, Yuri seems to spend more time trying to get away from Gunter than he does learning from him, though Gunter's tendency to worry and obsess over Yuri likely doesn't help with this. Sadly, Gunter doesn't get nearly as much focus as Yuri, Conrad or Wolfram, and there are multiple arcs in the series where he barely features at all, especially in the second half. The last of the main characters is Gwendal, the oldest of the former Queen's three sons who specializes in earth magic and is a skilled strategist. A reserved man by nature, Gwendal is the most cynical and least compassionate of the main characters, surpassing even Wolfram, as he’s always preparing for the worst-case scenario (i.e. war). Still, there's no doubt that he has the Demon Realm's best interests at heart and he does genuinely care for Yuri and his brothers, even if he doesn't like to show it often. Even so, his stoic nature means his personality isn't quite as defined as that of the other four main characters, and there isn't that much that makes him stand out aside from his relationship with his childhood friend Anissina, who regularly uses him as a guinea pig for her crazy inventions. Besides the main cast, the series features a pretty large number of supporting characters, including the aforementioned Anissina, the former Demon Queen Cecilie, Conrad, Wolfram and Gwendal's mother who had all of them with different fathers, and a whole lot of characters who Yuri and the others meet on their adventures. Then there's the characters from Earth, like Yuri's eccentric family (consisting of his mother Miko, father Shoma and brother Shori) and his friend from school Ken Murata who, without spoiling anything, is much more than he seems. Sadly, the comedic nature of the series means that a lot of these characters don't get the amount of focus or moments to shine that you would like, and there are a few that I thought weren't all that interesting or were just plain annoying. Enjoyment (8/10): I've seen more than one person refer to "Kyou Kara Maou!" as a "comfort series", and I must say that it is a pretty accurate description, as it manages to be very funny without relying on its characters being jerks. Not only is Yuri one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, but all of his subordinates are unambiguously good people despite their differing viewpoints. While the series does get a fair bit darker in later episodes, the overall optimism of the series perpetuates throughout, and any cynical viewpoint is put to rest almost as quickly as it's spouted. Overall: I don't know what I expected when I decided to watch "Kyou Kara Maou!", but I was pleasantly surprised with what I got- an anime that's light-hearted, wholesome and often hilarious while also telling a surprisingly good story with a likeable, well-rounded cast of characters. Sure, it takes a while to get to the really good parts and the animation and music aren't the best, but if you've had a long day and don't feel like anything particularly stressful, you should definitely consider checking out this series. Score: 7.5+8+8.5+7.5+8=39.5/50=7.9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 12, 2026 Recommended
Overview:
For countless generations, humanity has asked the same question over and over again- what is evil? While the answer to that question may seem self-explanatory, the existence of the concept of redemption among other things make it less obvious than one would think. But what if there is a line that, when crossed, makes someone beyond any chance of redemption? Does such a line even exist at all, and if so, where do we draw it? "Monster" is a neo-noir crime thriller dedicated to answering that very question, and proves itself to be one of the most unique of its kind, as well as well ... worth seeing. Story (9/10): "Monster" opens with Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese man currently working as a brain surgeon in Europe, having the nature of his work brought into question when he gets chewed out for choosing to save one patient over another on the grounds that they were more important. Coming to realise that all lives have equal value regardless of their position in society, Tenma soon after chooses to save a young boy who was shot over a mayor. While this does result in him losing favour among his superiors and his fiancée Eva dumping him, Tenma stands by his choice, believing that he did the right thing. Nine years later, however, Tenma encounters the boy he saved once again- Johan Liebert, who to his horror has grown into a ruthless, sadistic serial killer on his way to become, in his own words, as evil as possible. Realising that his decision nine years ago has come back to haunt him in the worst way imaginable, Tenma abandons his life and job for the purpose of tracking Johan down, and he in turn ends up getting pursued by Inspector Lunge, who suspects Tenma as being responsible for a series of murders than Johan is actually responsible for. While all of this is happening, Johan's twin sister, Anna, currently living as Nina Fortner, gets pulled into the pursuit of her brother as well, resulting in Nina and Tenma both making it their mission to find and stop Johan once and for all, and hopefully prevent the other from doing the unthinkable. The anime is notable for being a panel-by-panel adaptation of the manga it's based off. Granted, this isn't entirely a good thing, as the fact that it adapts everything means there's a fair number of scenes that the series could have cut without losing anything of significance. This is especially a problem in the introduction arc, which feels like it goes on a good bit longer than it needs to, with Johan only showing his face at the end of the fourth episode. Fortunately, Nina gets officially introduced in the following episode, and things pick up significantly from then on. In fact, "Monster" is a rare kind of anime that just gets better and better the more it goes on, with the story going from decently intriguing to great to fantastic. Part of what makes it so great is how it's able to take a break from Tenma and Nina's stories for a while and spend several episodes focusing on a new character we've never seen before, with said character always getting involved in the conspiracy regarding Johan in one way or another, then seamlessly switch back to the main characters once the arc is over. This happens no less than three times over the series and really sells the idea that the characters we follow for most of the series are just ordinary people who have become part of something much bigger than themselves, as well as making for some great set-pieces. What makes "Monster"'s story truly unique, however, is how it explores themes of mercy, forgiveness and redemption. Throughout the series, it is made very clear that there is only one person responsible for Johan's actions, and that is Johan himself. Not Tenma for saving him all those years ago, not Tenma or Nina for hesitating to kill him, it's Johan's for refusing to abandon his evil ways and seek redemption. The idea that only a person is responsible for their actions may seem like an obvious message, but it's one that many people don't seem to be able to wrap their heads around, always blaming the hero for letting the villain live instead of the villain for not repenting. As a matter of fact, Tenma is only blamed for Johan's rampage once throughout the whole series, and the person in question almost immediately takes it back, going so far as to write him a letter of apology assuring him that it's not his fault and he was simply doing his job. The series also features multiple cases of people who have done horrible things being offered a chance at redemption, with the only real question being whether or not they're willing to take it. It's certainly telling that multiple characters who I initially hated ended up being some of my favourites by the series' end. And speaking of which, "Monster" has a truly fantastic ending, being the kind that's unexpected but not in a way that it feels like the writers pulled it out of their ass, and I honestly could not have asked for a better conclusion. Art & Animation (8/10): "Monster" has no shortage of high points, but its visuals are unfortunately not one of them. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with the character models, environments or animation, the art style as a whole looks very dated, which sadly makes sense given that not only was the series released over 20 years ago, but it's based on a manga that first came out in the 90s. Ultimately, while the series doesn't look bad by any stretch, and the visuals are consistent in their quality if nothing else, as far as Madhouse productions go, I have definitely seen a lot better. Sound & Dialogue (9/10): "Monster" has a really moody and atmospheric soundtrack, with plenty of memorable tracks that really make you understand what kind of show you're watching. There's only one opening and one ending theme throughout the show's 74 episodes, and neither of them have any lyrics, yet they are both so great that I never skipped either of them once. The voice acting is fantastic as well; Liam O'Brien, generally known for voicing more violent, hands-on characters, does a great job playing against type as the pacifistic Dr. Tenma and Keith Silverstein does just as good a job as the monstrous Johan, which is impressive given that we're talking about a character who almost never raises his voice. My favourite voice actor, however, would have to be Karen Strassman, who not only delivers a fantastic performance as Nina, but as another character I won't spoil. Throw in a strong supporting cast that includes Richard Epcar, Laura Bailey, Tara Platt and Patrick Seitz among others, and the sound design as a whole is just as solid as the writing. Characters (8.5/10): When you hear "Dr. Tenma", I'd imagine at least a few people think of the character from "Astro Boy", and given that the mangaka Naoki Urasawa is confirmed to be a fan, the shared names are likely no coincidence. But while Umataro Tenma is morally ambiguous at best, Kenzo Tenma is a hero through and through. Put simply, Kenzo is the kind of person who is too nice for his own good, but in a way that makes him endearing and compelling rather than annoying. Considering he spends the majority of the series as a fugitive on the run for crimes that the person he's trying to find committed, you would think that his only priorities would be staying alive and tracking down Johan. However, that is most definitely not the case, as throughout the series he constantly stops to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. While this does bite him in the ass on more than one occasion, it works in his favour many times as well, as many of the people he helps or saves end up becoming his allies and returning the favour in some way at a later point. Tenma is far from stupid, too, as early on, he trains himself in the use of firearms as a means of self-defence, though he only uses his guns to disarm or threaten people. However, while Tenma says a number of times that he intends to kill Johan to fix his mistake, multiple characters question if that's really the answer, since as a doctor Tenma is supposed to use his hands to save lives, not take them, and his actions throughout the series clearly show him desperately trying to cling to his morals in spite of all that happens, not only to him but to everyone around him. Basically, if there's one thing to be taken from Tenma's character, it's that sticking to your principles is far more valuable than a lot of people give it credit for. As great a character as Tenma is, my favourite character would have to be Nina Fortner, known as Anna Liebert when she was living with her brother. When first introduced, Nina appears to live a perfectly happy life with her foster parents, but that's because she has no memory of the person she used to be. Once Johan comes back into her life, however, Nina quickly loses everything and she makes it her mission to track down her brother and kill him so that Tenma doesn't have to (conversely, Tenma's goal is to track down and kill Johan so that Nina doesn't have to). Compared to her sociopathic brother, Nina is generally kind and compassionate, but can be just as terrifying as Johan when pushed too far; not only does scare a neo-Nazi so much that he literally pisses his pants, but she's the one who shot Johan when the two of them were both children, which in turn is what led to Tenma saving him. However, Nina shows that being able to hold your own can only get you so far if you don't have the mental fortitude to back it up, and as the series goes on, her mind gets put through the emotional wringer, not just because of Johan, but from learning more about her past, seriously struggling not to lose herself in the process. Long story short, the sheer amount of emotional turmoil Nina undergoes throughout the series goes well beyond what anybody should have to go through in their lifetime, never mind somebody as young as her, and you'll likely end up feeling just as bad for her as Tenma does. It's not often that I dedicate an entire paragraph to describing a villain, but for Johan, I'm going to make an exception. To give you an idea of how well he lives up to his title, his response to Tenma telling him he can't just go around killing people is an utterly calm "Why not?". It's not even that he enjoys being evil, it's that he knows he is and doesn't care. A serial killer and master manipulator, Johan will often spend months or even years figuring out how to destroy people, to the point that he can easily end up convincing them that they should just die. And that's only the beginning of his atrocities, as he'll sometimes go further and destroy not only everything a person has, but everything they are. Essentially, he's both the antithesis to Tenma's deep value for all life and the living embodiment of Nina's worst impulses. Make no mistake, however; Johan is definitely not your typical "chaos for its own sake" villain. In fact, a big part of the narrative is the uncovering of his past, with Tenma trying to learn just what it would take to create a monster like Johan. What's more is that most, if not all of the possible reasons for his actions end up getting undermined, usually by the existence of someone who went through something similar but still became a decent human being, his sister Nina being the biggest example, though there are several others as well. In fact, it's heavily implied that even Johan doesn't know why he's as awful as he is. Ultimately, whether or not Johan is pure evil is the source of much debate even within the series itself, but the fact that he's a monster is pretty much undeniable, and he remains a nightmarishly fascinating villain from beginning to end. While Tenma, Nina and Johan are the central characters of the anime, the series also features a pretty large supporting cast, and as I mentioned above, it does a fine job at shifting focus away from the leads in order to focus on these characters. A prime example who appears throughout the series is Inspector Lunge, a highly intelligent detective who suspects Tenma as being the one who killed four of his co-workers shortly after he treated Johan, and continues to do so even after we learn that Johan was really responsible (though in his defence, the idea that a ten-year-old boy fresh out of brain surgery killed four adult men is pretty hard to swallow). Ultimately, Lunge is the reason why Tenma spends most of the series as a fugitive, believing that he is responsible for the crimes Johan has committed. While he seems like a Sherlock Holmes clone, he's really more of a deconstruction of the archetype than anything, as while he's undeniably brilliant, that causes him to develop tunnel vision and an inability to consider he might be wrong, and he gradually alienates the people in his life due to his fixation on his work. Thankfully, he goes through a LOT of character development over the second half of the series, with the final arc in particular giving him plenty of chances to show how much he's changed. There's also Dieter, a young boy who accompanies both Tenma and Nina at different points on their journeys. Dieter is from an abusive orphanage that Johan stayed in for some time, but manages to very intelligent and mature for his age without being a sociopath. Another major recurring character is Eva Heinemann, Tenma's former fiancée who starts off very cruel and vindictive towards him since she blames him for how miserable her life has been since the ending of their engagement and the death of her father, though like Lunge, she becomes a much better person during the anime's second half. Then there are a whole bunch of characters who only appear in an arc or two, yet are given an ample amount of time to explore their personalities in depth, most notably Wolfgang Grimmer, who is similar to Johan in background and how he can't feel emotion, but can still tell right from wrong and tries his hardest to be a good person. Sure, there are a few characters whom I didn't like in any way, shape or form, but ultimately the good characters far outweigh the bad ones. Enjoyment (8/10): The premise of the series alone makes it self-evident that "Monster" is not for the faint of heart. Not only does almost every character with so much as a name have some kind of traumatic backstory, but Johan commits just about every crime in the book, which we get to see for ourselves very clearly, and a fair few major characters do not make it to the end. Were it not for the surprisingly light themes about redemption and forgiveness, the series would be far too grim to bear, and a good deal of patience is definitely needed to get the most out of the series. Overall: "Monster" is a fantastic and solid crime thriller that would probably have fallen apart in the hands of a lesser writer, yet manages to come together extremely well. While the visuals haven't quite withstood the test of time, the music, voice acting, set-pieces and complex, brilliantly-developed characters most definitely have, complimented by a highly engaging story that just gets consistently better overtime and has a number of strong messages that are all too often forgotten in today's society. In short, if you're a fan of thrillers, or just want to be scared out of your mind, then this is a series that will definitely be worth your time. Score: 9+8+9+8.5+8=42.5/50=8.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 28, 2026
Nagi no Asu kara
(Anime)
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Overview:
If there's one hard truth we all learn while growing up, it's that nothing lasts forever. People get older, relationships change and often fall apart, places close down, natural disasters happen that irreversibly alter thousands, if not millions of lives etc. Little by little, day after day, the world is constantly evolving around us and there's nothing we can do about it. "Nagi no Asukara", also known as “A Lull in the Sea” or “Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea”, is a romantic fantasy built around the inevitability that things won't always stay the same, and ultimately the acceptance of this fact, and I would ... go so far as to call it THE overlooked gem of the 2010s. Story (8.5/10): "A Lull in the Sea" is set in an alternate reality where humanity all used to live under the sea, but have since separated into two separate sub-species- sea people and land people. Sea people are able to survive underwater using scale-like layers over their body called Ena, which gradually dries up the longer they stay on land. The series opens with four childhood friends from the underwater village Shioshishio- stubborn and hot-headed Hikari Sakishima, sweet but sensitive Manaka Mukaido, caring and nurturing Chisaki Hiradaira and quiet and mature Kaname Isaki- who are forced to go to school on the surface after their previous school unexpectedly closes down. While there, they encounter various people from the surface, chief among these being Tsumugu Kihara, a stoic boy who has a fascination with the sea, and two young girls named Sayu Hisanuma and Miuna Shidome, the latter of whom is the daughter of a man who's currently seeing Hikari's older sister, Akari. What follows is Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki and Kaname's struggles adjusting to a new environment, on top of having to confront feelings that they've had since childhood, as well as new ones they develop along the way. Despite being a slice-of-life anime, the series gets to the point pretty much immediately, opening when the childhood friends' school has already closed and them preparing to go to their new school for the first time, with some of them taking this better than others. As the series goes on, we gradually learn more and more about the sea people's customs and how they differ from those who live on the surface; for example, the people in Shioshishio worship a being known simply as the Sea God, and regularly make offerings to Lord Uroko, a messenger for the god who is said to be a scale from his shoulder blade. It's also established right away that the relationship between sea people and land people isn't exactly phenomenal; while there isn't any especially bad blood between the two races, the sudden transfer of four kids from the sea into a school on the surface is initially met with very mixed reception among those who already go there, with Hikari holding a similar disdain for land people. Additionally, while a sea person falling in love with someone from the land isn't forbidden, it is discouraged, as children born from a person from the land and a person from the sea don't have any Ena (which, as I mentioned above, is what allows them to live underwater), which means that a sea person who falls in love with a land person would be forced to leave Shioshishio for good since their children would never be able to live there. But honestly, I'm only talking about things that are relevant in the first half of the series, as about midway through, something very drastic happens that ends up completely altering the lives of all the major characters. Unfortunately, it's pretty much impossible to talk about this event in any detail, as doing so would mean giving away major parts of the story, so it's better that you just watch the series and see what I mean. As good as the worldbuilding is, "A Lull in the Sea" is still first and foremost a love story. In fact, it's a bit too much of one for its own good, and I say that as someone who's a big sucker for romance in general. There are occasions when the characters are more concerned with sorting out their entangled feelings for one another than they are about literally anything else that's going on, which I know will rub at least a few viewers the wrong way. Even so, the romances are still very sweet and well-developed, and the series generally does a good job at highlighting the difference between genuine love and superficial adoration, with what it means to love someone being the story's main theme along with change. Ultimately, the only other real problem I had with the story is that the pacing isn't the best, with a few episodes in the middle in particular feeling like a slog. In the end, though, the story managed to keep me invested from start to finish in spite of these small issues, culminating in a highly rewarding conclusion that wraps up nearly all of the plot points in a satisfying manner. Art & Animation (9/10): The first thing you're likely to notice about "A Lull in the Sea" is that it is a fantastic-looking series. While there isn't anything especially unique about the character designs, the character models themselves are nevertheless really well-drawn and detailed, and the animations are generally quite smooth too. Even so, the environments are the real highlight of the series, particularly the water, with there being multiple fantastic shots throughout the series where you can clearly see what's going on beneath the sea. The visuals are easily on par with that of most slice-of-life anime created by Kyoto Animation, to the point that it will likely come as a surprise to learn that it WASN'T animated by them. Sound & Dialogue (9/10): "A Lull in the Sea" features a fantastic soundtrack that easily captures the mystical, emotional and occasionally unsettling tone of the anime. The two openings and two ending themes are all good enough that I made a point to never skip any of them, with my favourites being the first ending theme "Aqua Terrarium" by Nagi Yanagi (the same person who sung the openings for "Oregairu", though I personally think that this song puts those ones to shame) and the second opening theme "Ebb and Flow" by Ray. The voice acting is brilliant as well, with Max Mittelman's Hikari (an early hothead role for him before he was cast as Ryuji in "Persona 5"), Brianna Knickerbocker's Chisaki and the always-great Michelle Ruff's Manaka being particular highlights, though Chris Hackney's Tsumugu, Bryce Papenbrook's Kaname and Sarah Williams' Sayu are all notable performances as well, along with a few others. All in all, "A Lull in the Sea" is a series that is very respectful to your ears. Characters (9/10): While the series does a good job at giving each of the main characters their fair share of focus and screentime, it's ultimately Hikari who gets the most, and fittingly enough, he's the most resistant to change out of all of them; this is established right away in his first scene where not only does he wear the uniform of his old school rather than his new one, but he scolds Manaka for not doing the same, claiming that it's a matter of 'school pride'. He also starts off with a prejudice towards land people and is very much a 'fists first, ask questions later' kind of person, as shown when he repeatedly punches Akari's boyfriend Itaru since he blames him for her current emotional turmoil (namely, her fear of being banished for dating someone of the surface), which ends in him getting punched (by someone else) in return. Even so, while he's not the most pleasant guy you'll ever meet, particularly considering how he can treat Manaka at times, he's a good kid at heart, and it's obvious that most of his harsher behaviour is out of concern for the people he cares about. He also goes through a substantial amount of character development, as interactions with Tsumugu and other characters slowly makes him realise that the only difference between sea people and land people is that one group can survive underwater while the other can't. That said, his resistance to change isn't something he overcomes until near the end, though given everything that happens to and around him over the series, it's hard to blame him. Then there's Manaka, who is best described as Hikari's exact opposite; while Hikari is rude, stubborn, hot-headed and proud, Manaka is sweet, shy, indecisive and prone to tears, the latter of which in particular often gets on Hikari's nerves as it frustrates him that she won't stand up for herself. At the same time, Manaka is also a lot more adaptable than Hikari and accepts the transfer to a new school much easier than he does. She also never holds any of sort of prejudice towards land people, and quickly becomes friends with Tsumugu, to the point that Hikari fears for a while that she might have a crush on him. As the anime goes on, Manaka gradually becomes more assertive and confident in herself, to the point of scolding Hikari from time to time, and cries notably less than she did in early episodes. She also goes through a major ordeal during the second half of the series, though to talk about that in any actual detail would end up giving away major parts of the story. Overall, Manaka is just adorable, having the kind of personality and demeanour that makes you want to protect her, much like Hikari and Chisaki often feel compelled to, and I would honestly say that I liked her even more than I did Hikari. Next up is Chisaki, the other girl of the childhood friends and Manaka's best friend. Similar to Manaka, Chisaki is a very kind and loving girl, though she's also more mature and cheerful than her, and acts as something of a mother figure to Manaka and their other friends. Much like Manaka, Chisaki also has feelings for Hikari, though she keeps them hidden out of respect and love for her best friend. While she takes having to go to a school on the surface a lot more in stride than Hikari initially does, Chisaki is also a very nostalgic person; an early conversation with Manaka has her talk about how much fun they had when they had when they were younger and how she wishes times like that could last forever. Of course, the series being what it is, things don't work out that way at all. In fact, ultimately it's Chisaki, not Manaka or Hikari, who ended up being my favourite character in the series, as her character arc is easily the strongest, which is definitely saying something. Without giving too much away, over the story, Chisaki ends up losing everything that made up her old life, and while she does eventually get some of those things back, she's nevertheless forced to accept that things will never be the way they used to be, though there's a silver lining in that she ultimately makes peace with all of this. To put it simply, she grows up in a big way. There's also Tsumugu, who serves as the primary viewpoint character for land people, being the only main character from the surface who has a major role in both halves of the story. As the grandson of a fisherman, Tsumugu has a strong fascination with the sea, though his parents don't share this sentiment, which is why he lives with his grandfather instead of them. Personality-wise, he doesn't show much emotion, and is easily the most mature of the main cast, though he can also come off as distant and aloof at times. Even so, he's generally a very kind person, and while he's not the only reason Hikari is able to look past his biases, he does play a big part, and overtime becomes good friends not only with him, but all the other childhood friends as well, especially Chisaki. His main fault is that he tends to be very blunt and straightforward, which can make him come off as insensitive at times even if he doesn't mean to. While he doesn't get quite the same amount of development as Chisaki, Manaka or Hikari, he's still a great character in his own right, and I honestly don't think the series would work without him. Rounding up the childhood friend quartet is Kaname, the other male and Hikari's best friend, though you wouldn't think so at first since, at first glace, the two of them are opposites in many ways; not only does Kaname not share Hikari's initial prejudices towards land people, but he tends to be rather quiet and rational and prefers to think before he acts, and overall he appears to have his act together compared to his friends. "Appear" being the operative word here, as it's shown in later episodes that he's not nearly as mature as he'd like others, or himself, to believe; specifically, he has a bad habit of saying what's on his mind when he REALLY shouldn't, and several of his attempts to help or reassure his friends end up having the opposite effect. He never really outgrows this problem, either; if anything, he gets worse in the second half of the series. Basically, while he and Hikari seem very different on the surface (no pun intended), deep down they're actually quite alike, and if anything Hikari proves himself to be the more mature of the two with character development, though Tsumugu is definitely more mature than either of them. Another notable character from the surface is Sayu. Introduced as a rather bratty nine-year-old girl, Sayu is best described as a younger, female version of Hikari, having a prejudice towards sea people just like he does towards land people. Due to her young age, however, her actions regarding said prejudice never goes beyond childish pranks and mocking, and like Hikari, she soon grows out of it, even developing a crush on a sea person, though I won't say who it is. While she's a fairly minor character in the first half of the series, she has a much more prominent role in the second half, by which point she's actually become one of the most grounded and rational members of the cast, being more concerned with just living her life and thinking about her future rather than getting involved in any of the love drama, though she's not completely immune to it herself. The last member of the main case is Miuna, Sayu's best friend and Itaru's daughter, who lost her mother some time before the series began. While she does care for Akari, Miuna initially doesn't approve of the possibility of her becoming her new mother. And if this sounds like a case of a kid not being able to accept that their father is moving on, I can tell you that isn't it, as what Miuna really fears is that Akari will die like her birth mother did, though in the end she decides she loves Akari enough that losing her is worth the possible heartbreak. Aside from that, Miuna's role in the first half of the series is pretty minimal, though like Sayu, her significance increases significantly in the second half, to the point that she actually becomes the most focused-on character for a while. Even so, while I did like her overall, her rather questionable actions during the second half of the series means she ended up being my least favourite of the main characters. Besides the main seven, "A Lull in the Sea" also has a pretty large supporting cast; there's Akari, Itaru, Tsumugu's grandfather Isamu, Hikari and Akari's father Tomoro who works as a priest in Shioshishio, Lord Uroko and a whole bunch of other characters that don't matter all that much. As a whole, though, the cast of characters is brilliant, with the writers doing a great job at building each of the major characters around the show's core themes, and seeing them all gradually grow over the story is a joy. Enjoyment (8.5/10): "A Lull in the Sea" starts off borderline kid-friendly for the first third or so of its run, with the main problems being kids having to adjust to an unfamiliar environment and the locals gradually growing accustomed to having these new faces around. Then episode 10 happens, and things suddenly start to take a turn for the worse, which fully settles in precisely midway through the series. As such, the second half of the series is much heavier than the first, with the lighthearted moments being few and far between. Even so, things never become unbearable, and the story ultimately manages to end on an unambiguously happy note. Overall: Even if it doesn't quite reach the same emotional highs as "Clannad", "Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea" is still a deeply touching anime that any romance or drama fan would do well to put on their watch list. The story can get a little messy and melodramatic at times, but there's still an earnestness in how it handles its themes of love and the inevitability and acceptance of change, complimented by a great setting, stunning visuals, beautiful music, stellar voice acting and a fantastic cast of loveable, well-developed characters. In short, this is, without a doubt, one of the best slice-of-life anime that I have seen to date, and one that I sincerely believe deserves a whole lot more attention than it gets. Score: 8.5+9+9+9+8.5=44/50=8.8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 17, 2026
Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu
(Anime)
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Overview:
It's an unfortunate truth of humanity that many people have the potential to be better than they are but just don't act on it for whatever reason, and the same can be said for anime. "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes" has all the right elements to be a standout anime- an intriguing world, a selection of interesting, complex characters, deep themes etc.- but ultimately it fails to really make the most of out of any of these, and while it would be a stretch to call it a failure, I wouldn't call it a success either. Story & World (6.5/10): "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes" ... is set in an unnamed fantasy world, with various nations that have been at odds with each other for as long as anyone can remember. The protagonist of this surprisingly dark adventure is Ryner Lute, a very lazy magician with mysterious magic eyes that grant him immense power but at the risk of taking him over and driving him insane, which has caused all but a few to scorn and despise him. One day, Ryner is tasked by the king of his country, Sion Astal (who just so happens to be one of the only friends he has) to gather a bunch of ancient artifacts known as the Heroes' Relics, weapons wielded by legendary heroes who saved the kingdom from monsters in the distant past. Being the lazy man that he is, Ryner is initially very reluctant, but ultimately he accepts and sets out on a journey accompanied by a young noblewoman named Ferris Eris (yes, really). And as you can probably imagine, this seemingly simple treasure hunt quickly evolves into something that's anything but simple. I'm going to get this out of the way right now; "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes" is very slow-paced, and not in a good way. The series opens with Ryner and Ferris already on their journey, to give us a good idea of their personalities and dynamic with each other. Then the series flashes back to Ryner's past to show us how he got into that situation, which lasts for three episodes, and then... nothing. Okay, things do happen, but a lot of these events are just chance encounters that, in most cases, have nothing to do with their quest, yet ultimately their goal still remains the same (or at least, that's what it seems like). Not helping matters is that while this is going on, Sion is trying his hardest to prevent war between his country and any neighbouring nations, with us giving occasional glimpses of the actions of him and his subordinates, which makes Ryner and Ferris' search for the relics feel like an inconsequential sidequest that we're forced to watch while the more important stuff happens elsewhere. It's also worth noting that the anime is a very compressed adaptation, ramming 11 volumes' worth of content into 24 episodes. If the anime is this slow-paced, I can only imagine what the novels were like. The main strengths of the story come from the worldbuilding, with the series providing a fair amount of lore regarding the world's various countries, as well as the nature of God's Eye Bearers such as Ryner (whose eyes are designated "Alpha Stigma"), who regard their powers as a curse. At first, this may seem strange given the powers it gives them and how the Alpha Stigma has allowed Ryner to become the most powerful mage in his country, but eventually it becomes clear that it really is a curse with more cons than pros, as in addition to being viewed as monsters by almost everyone, they're in constant danger of losing control of their powers, which Ryner has done many times in the past. The series also asks questions about how far one is willing to achieve their goals and whether or not such lengths are justified, with characters sometimes engaging in debates about whether extreme methods are necessary to achieve peace or if the means and ends should resemble each other, with the series providing solid arguments for both sides. Unfortunately, worldbuilding and themes only help so much when the actual storytelling isn't up to standard, and ultimately the anime ends just when the story has finally gotten off the ground. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes" was animated by Zexcs, which isn't an especially well-known studio, even though the quality of the visuals would make you think they'd get more work. The anime first aired in 2010, but it still looks great even today, with fantastic special effects for the various spells (especially Ryner's) and very detailed character models, monsters and environments. The visuals are by no means flawless, and it would definitely be a stretch to call it one of the best-looking anime of its generations, but overall I would definitely consider this to be the show's highlight. Sound & Dialogue (8/10): The anime's music really isn't all that memorable, consisting mainly of generic tracks that you could hear in countless other fantasy stories. There are only two tracks that really stood in my mind; the first opening theme "Truth of My Destiny" and an insert song that plays in the second-last episode. The voice acting is generally very good, with Ian Sinclair delivering a great performance as the generally apathetic but secretly deeply hurting Ryner and Luci Christian voicing Ferris with a notably lower voice than usual, though Eric Vale's Sion isn't as much of a standout. The series also features a strong supporting cast, which includes Brina Palencia, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Monica Rial, Jerry Jewel, J. Michael Tatum and Robert McCollum, though some of them don't get as big a role as I would have liked. Characters (7.5/10): Initially, Ryner comes off as lazy and apathetic to a ridiculous degree, outright stating that he doesn't care about anything except taking naps as often as possible. However, then we learn about all he's been through, namely that he's lost control of his Alpha Stigma powers in the past and killed a ton of innocent people as a result. Add in the fact that he's spent a good portion of his life as a soldier, and he's completely wrecked with guilt over all the people he's killed. In a way, Ryner just wanting to nap all the time can be seen as his way of avoiding causing trouble for people, since he sees himself as someone who brings death and misery wherever he goes. As such, he despises people who take lives under the excuse that it's for the greater good, since he believes that killing so many people isn't something you can live with, let alone justify. All of that being said, even he can't deny that his powers have their uses, and he's more than willing to take advantage of those in combat, and as lazy as he is, he's also highly intelligent. While I did find his character development to be a bit unclear and inconsistent, with him implying in one episode that he's gotten over the worst of his issues only to revert back a few episodes later, overall he's the character in the series I liked the most by a mile. Then there's Ferris. Now, while I do like Ferris as a character, she does have the strange tendency to act as though she's the heroine of a generic harem series, often threatening and hitting Ryner with her sword, even when he's done nothing at all. She also keeps inexplicably calling Ryner a pervert, even though not only is he not a pervert, he's the furthest thing from. Not exactly the best companion for a guy who absolutely hates himself to have. Even so, while I do have issues with her and Ryner's relationship, individually she's a very good character, having a dark, well-developed backstory involving her highly messed-up family, though she doesn't angst about it nearly as much as Ryner does, if she even does at all. She's also definitely not lacking in the 'capable female lead' department, being as skilled with a sword as Ryner is with magic, to the point that she can easily defeat most opponents she faces. On top of that, for someone who's usually so stoic, she has a surprisingly dorky side, particularly when it comes to her obsession with dangos, not unlike a certain other female lead voiced by Luci Christian. Completing the main trio is Sion, the king of Roland and the man who sends him and Ferris on their journey. Due to them attending the same school, he's also one of the few friends Ryner has, though you wouldn't think so given how Ryner often thinks about wanting to kill him, with this one of the few things he and Ferris consistently agree on. The best way to describe Sion is that he's an idealist i.e. he's the kind of person who can't let anyone under him die without being wrecked with guilt, and desires to create a peaceful world without resorting to violence. Unfortunately, the world being what it is, Sion's role and pressure to live to his ideals gradually chip away at his sanity. However, while he's officially a part of the main cast, Sion doesn't get nearly as much screentime as Ryner or Ferris, meaning later developments involving his character feel like they come largely out of nowhere. Ultimately, he's a character that's compelling in concept, but not so much in practice. Besides the main trio, the cast of characters is quite large- there's Ryner's old classmate Kiefer Knoles, Ferris' older brother Lucile and younger sister Iris and Sion's various subordinates (including one who's pretty much Paul von Oberstein from "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" in all but name and appearance), as well as a decent selection of villains. Unfortunately, a lot of these characters don't get the screentime you would probably like, and the abrupt ending of the anime ends up leaving all of them without any real closure. Enjoyment (7/10): Don't let the occasional moments of comic relief fool you. It's obvious from the very first episode that this is a very dark series, shown by how Ryner and Ferris (our heroes) decide to just leave a golem to go on a rampage instead of even trying to stop it. And as much as the series condemns people who commit horrible crimes in the name of peace, it's just as often implied that you HAVE to be that ruthless in order to get anything done, which really begs the question as to whether the world can even be improved at all. Sure, there are some optimistic undertones, but this grim nature is still very much felt from beginning to end. Overall: "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes" is an anime that had a lot of potential, but ends up being another unfortunate example of "what could have been". It has some good action scenes and visuals that hold up really well even to this day, but the story never feels like it goes anywhere, the characters are often annoying or underutilized, and the music is almost entirely forgettable. All in all, I would say it's worth a look if you're a dark fantasy fan, but if you finding yourself wanting more in the end, I won't be able to fault you at all, because that's exactly how I felt. Score: 6.5+8.5+8+7.5+7=37.5/50=7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 24, 2026 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of both seasons.
Overview: The isekai genre, or at least what we know it as today, is often criticized as being highly monotonous, with many such anime telling more-or-less the same story with only a few superficial differences. "Gate: Thus the Japanese Self-Defence Force Fought in Their Land", usually known only as "Gate", is one of the most original and interesting takes on the genre in recent years, and that originality most definitely works in its favour, even considering the over-idealization of its subject matter and some questionable plot points in its otherwise engaging story. Story (7.5/10): "Gate" opens in modern-day Tokyo, during ... what initially appears to be just any other day for 33-year-old Yoji Itami, an otaku who is making his way to a nearby doujin convention. All of a sudden, a portal to another world opens and the city is attacked by an army of medieval soldiers and supernatural monsters. Fortunately, the weapons and technology possessed by the Japanese Self-Defence Force are easily superior and so they're able to fend off the invaders and force them back to where they came from. However, it doesn't appear that the portal is going to disappear any time soon, so the JSDF dispatches a squad called the Third Recon Unit to investigate wherever the portal leads to. This unit is led by none other than Itami himself, who happens to be a Lieutenant in the JSDF despite his hobbies and childlike mannerisms. Nevertheless, his savviness and knowledge of fantasy worlds makes him invaluable for a mission like this, and so it’s up to him and his squad to uncover the truth behind the “Special Region” as it comes to be known and hopefully open peace negotiations with the beings who live there. It’s not long before Itami’s paths cross with three very different people; Tuka Luna Marceau, a 165-year-old elf who was driven from her home after it was attacked by a dragon, Rory Mercury, a 961-year-old demigoddess who serves as the apostle of a god named Emroy and Leilei Le Lelena, a 15-year-old mage prodigy, all of whom become Itami’s steadfast allies during his investigation of this strange new world. The first thing to note about the Special Region is that it's not based on any kind of in-universe game, MMORRPG or otherwise. While the manga and novels Itami has read do help the Third Recon Unit with their survival in the Special Region, ultimately the world is very much its own thing. What's more is that while they may form a base of operations, the unit aren't stuck there, since the fact that the Gate remains open means that they're able to return to Earth and back again whenever they need to, with those native to the Special Region able to go through the Gate to Earth as well. That the characters are able to return to their own world at all not only separates the series from the vast majority of other modern isekai, but also brings earlier examples of the genre to mind like "Inuyasha" and "Kyo Kara Maoh". Of course, the fact that the series stars a 33-year-old employed man makes this story original on its own, as the genre is rather infamous for always starring NEETs or some other kind of loser that end up becoming all-powerful gods once they enter a fantasy world. Sure, a cliché does slip in every now and then, particularly those of the harem genre, but it’s never to the point where it takes away from the story. The series is also very well-paced and almost never lingers on the same arc or plot point for too long, which keeps the series from ever getting boring. All of that being said, I can't say that I enjoyed everything that the story had to offer. For starters, the fact that part of the premise involves the people of Earth trying to open peace negotiations with the residents of the Special Region means the series can get very political, and while politics are usually a good thing in this kind of series, in "Gate"'s case they're the worst part of the story. Not only is the action and humour (the biggest draws of the series) brought to a halt during these periods, but the series tends to assume that you have extensive knowledge of real-life politics. As such, as someone who tends not to follow politics anymore than he needs to, the meaning behind a fair number of conversations ended up flying over my head. There's also the fact that the series tends to portray the JSDF as an unambiguous force for good, which may rub some people the wrong way depending on what you think of the military. And while it's not too big of an issue, the anime does ultimately end with a couple of plot points still unresolved, even if the overall ending to the series is still good. In short, the story is good, but there's definite room for improvement. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Gate" as a whole is a very good-looking series, though that's to be expected given that the studio is A-1 Pictures. Not only are the character models very well-drawn and animated, particularly during fight scenes, but the environments are very detailed as well. There's also plenty of really great character and monster designs, as well as some great special effects. Granted, the series doesn't look spectacular, with a few rough edges here and there, particularly in scenes set during the day, but overall I would definitely consider the visuals to be one of the show's main strengths. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Gate"'s music is good enough, but there aren't many particular tracks that you will remember when the series is over. My personal favourites are the two openings ("Sore wa Akatsuki no You ni" and "Sekai o Koete") and two ending themes ("Prism Communicate" and "Itsudatte Communication"), all of which are very catchy and fun to listen to while also being very different in style from each other. The voice acting is great, with the dub featuring a number of notable performances. My personal favourites are David Wald as the goofy yet highly competent Itami (who is quite different from the gruff, serious roles he usually does), Molly Searcy as the sultry and ruthless yet surprisingly kind-hearted Rory and Juliet Simmons as the cheerful but highly unstable Tuka. All in all, the sound design won't blow you away, but it definitely does its job. Characters (7.5/10): On the surface, Itami comes off as very childish and irresponsible, often prioritizing goofing off and having a good time over actually fulfilling his duties. This combined with the fact that his subordinates clearly don't respect him very much makes you wonder exactly how he still has his job. The answer to this being of course that, when push comes to shove, he's a very competent officer, often taking on various threats with nothing but regular weapons, tactics and support from his allies, with none of the unique supernatural powers typically given to isekai protagonists. In addition, the fact that he's a man in his 30s makes him someone that a lot of older anime fans will likely end up seeing themselves in. I know I did. As for his actual personality, he's a goofball, but also kind and compassionate to a fault, though being a military officer he can also be ruthless when the situation calls for it; in fact, the very first episode has a scene where he casually kills an invading soldier with his own weapon, when not even in uniform no less. If I were to name a real problem I had with him, it's that he doesn't have much of a backstory. Don't get me wrong; we do learn some things about his past, but there are a lot of important things that would have been useful to learn but that we never get the answers to, like exactly how, when and why he joined the JSDF. This isn't a huge issue though, and as far as isekai protagonists go, he's definitely a cut above. That being said, my favourite character is without a doubt Rory Mercury, a demigoddess known as the "Reaper" who joins Itami's group early on. What makes Rory such a fascinating character is that she doesn't lean into any particular archetype; one could argue she's a yandere given her ruthlessness in combat and how she can act towards Itami at times, but that's undermined by the fact that she's actually very caring and empathetic, enough so that Itami expresses his surprise at just how kind she is. As someone who's governed death for hundreds of years, Rory has just as much respect for life as she does for death, viewing the former as something that should be cherished to the fullest. In a way, her ruthlessness towards her enemies can be interpreted as anger towards them for taking their lives for granted. She also definitely has a way with words; one particularly memorable scene has her chewing out a group of politicians who are criticizing Itami's group by accurately summing them up as a bunch of idiotic, hypocritical cowards, something I'm sure a lot of us have wanted to do at some point in our lives and pretty much cemented Rory as my favourite character from that moment on. Combine all this with the surprisingly dorky side she shows on occasion, like in one episode when she goes shopping in the human world, and she is easily one of the main reasons to give this series a chance. Next on the list is Tuka Luna Marceau, a teenage elf (or at least teenage by the standards of her species) who was driven from her home after it was attacked by a dragon, which led to the death of her father. While Tuka acts cheerful for the most part, "acts" is definitely the operative word here, as the loss of her home shook her up really badly. For a character in an anime, Tuka's character arc is a surprisingly through and realistic portrayal of denial and PTSD, as she initially can't accept that her father is dead and often walks around searching for him. It doesn't help that Itami is initially reluctant to tell her the truth, as he fears that doing so will cause her to fall into despair. Of course, we all have to face reality eventually, and circumstances eventually force Tuka to confront her grief head-on, which makes for a really compelling character arc. The last of the girls who joins Itami's group is Leilei Le Lelena, who is the youngest of the group at age 15, but frequently acts like she's the oldest. As a stoic teen genius who has since become a more powerful mage than even her own mentor (who himself is no slouch), Leilei often acts like she's been alive for thousands of years, in contrast to the other three main characters who tend to act a lot younger than they actually are (well, not so much in Tuka's case since she's technically a teenager). While she's certainly a useful and essential part of the group, I would overall consider her to be the least compelling of the four leads, since her archetype is one that has been done in anime many times before, and the episodes that focus on her specifically tend to fall into cliches such as magic school. Aside from the main group of four, another noteworthy character is Pina Co Lada, a princess in the kingdom of the Special Region and one of the few members of her family who actually cares about doing the right thing. While she has a clear, fleshed-out personality and can definitely hold her own in a fight, overall she doesn't have nearly as many notable moments as that of the main quartet. Initially acting as an antagonist to Itami's group under the assumption that they had sinister intentions, said misunderstanding is cleared up almost instantly, and from there she becomes just another one of Itami's allies. It doesn't help that she's heavily involved in the political side of things, which as I mentioned above is the worst part of the series. As a whole, "Gate" contains a pretty wide and varied cast of characters, including the other members of Itami's squad (some of whom are well-developed while others are just there) and the various colourful beings that they encounter in the Special Region. The series also has a pretty decent collection of villains, including one who has been described as Japan's answer to Joffrey Baratheon from "Game of Thrones", and for good reason. Enjoyment (8/10): From the first scene of the first season to the very end of the second, "Gate" is a very enjoyable and entertaining series. Not only are there no shortage of compelling action sequences, but there's also plenty of genuinely funny comedic moments to be found as well, so even when the series takes a break from the fighting it makes sure that you'll never get bored. Sure, the series can get surprisingly dark at times and deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, but it's always in the name of good storytelling and character development, meaning the pay-off is more often than not worth it. Overall: "Gate" is very far from flawless and may not standout in any particular way, but it's still a hugely enjoyable series that in many ways feels like a throwback to isekais from the 90s and 2000s while also putting its own original spin on the genre. Sure, I may not have liked everything the series had to offer and it's pretty clearly a big fat advertisement for the Japanese Self-Defence Force, but it's still a whole lot of fun to watch all the same, with a unique premise, crisp visuals, great action scenes and comedy and likeable, three-dimensional characters. Score: 7.5+8.5+8.5+7.5+8=40/50=8.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 19, 2026 Mixed Feelings
Note: This will be a review of both seasons.
Overview: "Vandread" is an early anime from lesser animation studio Gonzo; a mecha anime that came out at the very beginning of the 21st century, it in many ways serves as a throwback to early examples of the genre before the "Gundam" series was created, while also having some elements of a romantic comedy thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, airing only a few years after the genre-redefining "Neon Genesis Evangelion" makes this an anime that has largely been forgotten, and while it does have some creative fights and interesting ideas, it ultimately proves to be no better ... than what I've come to expect from the studio. Story (7.5/10): "Vandread" is set in a distant future where humanity has been divided into two different societies; the industrial, militarised all-male society Tarak and the fashion-conscious, partying all-female society Mejale, which have been at odds with each other for as long as anyone can remember. Hibiki Tokai is a factory worker from Tarak who dreams of piloting a Vanguard (Tarak's name for mechs), a desire that results in him ending up in a battleship after an attempt to steal one goes horribly wrong. Soon after, he ends up on a pirate ship called the Nirvana with two others (a doctor named Duero McFile and a cowardly officer named Bart Garsus), only to discover that the ship they're on consists of nothing but women. Among the crew of pirate women include a squad that pilots a type of mechs called Dreads, consisting of Dita Liebely, a childlike woman with a strange fascination with men, Meia Gisborn, the stoic no-nonsense leader of the squad, and Jura Basil Elden, a vain self-absorbed pilot. It isn't long that these unlikely allies discover that the mechs of their respective societies can combine together to create a new form- the titular Vandread, an advanced type of mech that combines the strengths of both the Vanguards and the Dreads while discarding their weaknesses. Ultimately, the men and women decide to team up in order to return home, during which they are repeatedly attacked by a mysterious race of aliens known as the Harvesters and gradually uncover the truth of how humanity reached its current state. The main message the series tries to put forward is that societies segregated by gender are undesirable and men and women can accomplish much more by putting aside whatever differences they may have and working together, which is a fine message in of itself. However, the execution of this message is pretty shaky, as the two genders are both portrayed very stereotypically, with men being portrayed as a bunch of tough guys who are afraid to show any kind of vulnerability and women being shown as vain, spoiled and valuing aesthetics and superficialness over practicality. It doesn't help that the female characters in the series far outweigh the males, with Hibiki, Duerto and Bart being the male characters we see the most of by far, even if they're not the only males in the whole series. The fact that most of the series is set on a ship flying through space doesn't help, as it means there's only so many opportunities to explore how everyday life goes in Tarak and Mejale, which could have helped to alleviate the stereotypes a bit. However, while the worldbuilding is overall pretty lacking, the actual storytelling is a cut above the standard Gonzo flair. For starters, despite being a race of incomprehensible beings that never say a word, the Harvesters are far from stupid, as unlike villains you'd find in many other mech shows, they actually learn from their past defeats and consistently come up with new, interesting ways to challenge the heroes, allowing them to remain a threat even very late into the series. Additionally, while the series starts off pretty slow-paced as Gonzo anime tend to do, in this case it's not as big an issue as even in early episodes, there's still some much needed character bonding and we gradually learn more and more about the crew, though it still definitely saves the better parts for later. In particular, the last few episodes really feel like everything the series had been building up to until then, culminating in a very satisfying conclusion, both in terms of the final battle and the actual ending. Art & Animation (7/10): Gonzo anime tend to have visuals that are average at best, and the fact that "Vandread" first aired in 2000 means it should probably come as no surprise that it looks even worse than most of their other shows. While there's nothing special about the character models or the environments, it's the moments during space that really stick out like a sore thumb, with the mech battles being animated mainly with conspicuous CG effects that range from mediocre to downright garish-looking. As such, anyone going in expecting a treat for the eyes should prepare themselves for a big disappointment. Sound & Dialogue (8/10): "Vandread"'s soundtrack isn't especially noteworthy, as there are no particular tracks during the episodes themselves that come to mind, not even during the most hectic mech battles. The main exceptions are the two openings "Trust" and "Justice" and especially the second ending theme "Himegoto", a very sultry and memorable song that fits the series so well that I honestly can't imagine it playing for any other anime. The voice acting isn't bad either; while I was initially sceptical about the normally low-voiced Tony Oliver voicing an abrasive teenager like Hibiki, he plays the role surprisingly well, as does Julie Maddalena as Dita, Julie Ann Taylor as Meia and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Jura. Besides the main four, the dub also features a strong supporting cast, most notably Wendee Lee, Steve Blum (the voice of Duerto) and Kirk Thornton (the voice of Bart). Even so, the script can definitely be pretty cringeworthy at times, particularly when the characters are leaning a bit TOO far into gender stereotypes. Characters (7/10): When we're first introduced to Hibiki, he's a serious hothead and kind of a jerk, not only to the women of the Nirvana (which is justified given how long the two societies have been at odds with each other) but to Duerto and Bart as well. He's also very much the kind of person who acts before he thinks, given that the entire series begins as a result of his impulsive decision to steal a Vanguard. However, he's far from dumb, as he begins the series as a skilled mechanic and quickly proves to be a competent pilot, to the point that he becomes the Nirvana's main hope of survival. Furthermore, it isn't too long before we learn that most of his outward bravado is just a front, and that he's actually very unsure of himself, with most of the allegedly deep stuff he says merely being things he's heard other people say rather than things he actually believes in. However, while he is well-developed overall, I felt that the part regarding him learning to challenge others with his own words was never adequately resolved, as there isn't any specific scene where he voices what he's truly come to believe in, or at least none that I remember. Ultimately, my favourite character would have to be the other half of the main duo, Dita, who is seen as an oddball by her society due to her fascination with men, though where this fascination comes from is never really explained. While she's certainly quirky, it's in a way that makes her endearing and lovable rather than annoying, and the fact that she's the only girl willing to give Hibiki and the other men a chance from the beginning makes her easily one of the nicest characters in the series, if not the nicest full stop. That said, she gets jealous just like anybody else and doesn't like it whenever Hibiki forms a Vandread with one of the other heroines, or "combines" with them as the series so tactfully puts it. Her blossoming relationship with Hibiki is easily one of the highlights of the series, as we see it consistently evolve over the course of the series, and I was certainly satisfied with how it ultimately ended. Next is Meia, the secondary heroine and the leader of Dita's squad, as well as the only main character with a tragic past. With her stoic attitude, Meia initially appears to be the complete opposite of short-tempered Hibiki, but it soon becomes clear that they have a fair bit more in common than either would be willing to admit i.e. they're both highly competitive and hate to lose, especially to each other. As time goes on, Meia is forced to face her painful past and rely more on the other crew members, particularly her squadmates. Most significantly, she goes from the one most likely to butt heads with Hibiki out of anyone on the Nirvana to arguably the Nirvana crew member he's the closest to besides Dita, though unlike Dita, her relationship with Hibiki is entirely platonic, which is a good thing as close platonic relationships between girls and boys are quite rare in anime. The last member of the main cast is Jura, who is sadly also the least-developed. While she's far from generic and gets plenty of screentime, as well as being very competent in a fight, she doesn't get nearly as much focus or development as Hibiki, Dita or Meia, with even the episode in which her Vandread makes its debut ultimately being more about the Nirvana captain Magno than it is about her. Ultimately, Jura primarily serves as comic relief, with even the subplot involving her wanting to have a child with a man ultimately not going anywhere. Besides the main quartet, the cast of characters is quite large, as the Nirvana contains more than a dozen recurring members, and there are a fair few other characters that show up every now and then as well. However, the amount of development these characters get is very uneven, as while a few have episodes that help flesh them out (most notably Bart, who starts off as a cowardly, arrogant twit before a certain tragic event forces him to man up), there are some who get next-to-no focus or development at all. By far the worst offender of this is Misty Cornwell, a mysterious girl who joins the crew a fair bit into the series and comes from a time before humanity split into Tarak and Mejale. However, that part of her becomes almost completely irrelevant after her first few scenes, and from then on she's reduced to being nothing more than a love rival for Dita, which is not only a massive disappointment narratively speaking, but also makes her very irritating as a character. Enjoyment (7.5/10): "Vandread"'s fight scenes may not be especially well-animated, but the creativity of them and the way they evolve over the series makes them one of the things I consistently looked forward to during each episode. There's plenty of comedy as well, particularly from all of the blatant sex metaphors, as well as a lot of heartwarming moments, especially as the Nirvana crew grow closer and support each other with their problems. While the series can get unexpectedly dark at times, these moments are few and far between, and ultimately the series ends on a very hopeful note. Overall: "Vandread" is ultimately nothing special, even if it does make a good effort to be such. The story is fun and well-paced but held back by poorly-executed themes, the characters are likeable and fleshed-out but not particularly memorable and the visuals are all over the place. While I certainly can't say I regret watching the series, the fact that there are so many better mech shows out there makes it pretty difficult to recommend, unless of course you just can't get enough of the genre. Score: 7.5+7+8+7+7.5=37/50=7.4/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 31, 2026
Scrapped Princess
(Anime)
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Overview:
"Scrapped Princess" is yet another anime from the 2000s that you will rarely hear anybody talk about nowadays, mainly because there isn't anything that makes it especially stand out among other anime that aired around the same time. You may think that this makes it a series you shouldn't waste time on, but you'd actually be wrong. While it may not be particularly original, it doesn't really feel like anything you've seen many times before either, and provided you're not too picky about what you watch, this is an anime you could very well end up enjoying. Story (7/10): Has there ever been a point in your ... life when you felt like the whole world was against you, and it would be better for everyone if you just disappeared forever? Well, 15-year-old Pacifica Casull probably knows how that feels better than anyone. Abandoned as a baby and then adopted into the sword-and-sorcery Casull family, Pacifica has recently discovered that she's the fabled Scrapped Princess, who according to prophecy will bring disaster to the world on her 16th birthday, a day that's fast approaching. As a result, despite having done nothing wrong in her life, Pacifica suddenly finds herself public enemy #1, with the Church of Mauser sending every possible subordinate they have after her in an attempt to kill her before the prophecy can come true. Standing in their way are Pacifica's older adopted siblings, the sorceress Raquel and swordsman Shannon, neither of whom are prepared to just roll over and let their little sister be killed based on what she MIGHT do. As such, the three Casull siblings go on a journey across their world, in an attempt to uncover the truth behind this so-called prophecy and hopefully find a way to save the world without having to sacrifice Pacifica. But as the Church becomes increasingly desperate, and more and more innocent people get caught in the crossfire, Pacifica begins to suspect that it might be best for everyone to just give her pursuers what they want. What starts off as a simple road trip story involving a family evading a group of religious extremists soon evolves into something a lot more complicated. While it doesn't seem so at first, "Scrapped Princess" is a science fantasy, being set in a world that looks medieval but has robots and other kinds of advanced technology, with these elements coming in soon enough for them to not even be a spoiler. In general, the series is very well-paced, with the story almost never staying in the same place for too long and the truth behind Pacifica and her past being gradually revealed overtime, both to us as the viewers and to the characters themselves. By extension, this also makes for some pretty good worldbuilding, as we learn quite a bit about the show’s world and how it came to be. Now that we have the good parts of the story out of the way, on to the bad parts. For one, the series begins very abruptly, with the Casulls already on the run from the Church of Mauser when the first episode opens. While starting things in medias res isn't inherently bad, the problem is that we're never even given a flashback or anything similar detailing precisely how their journey started, meaning we only ever see the middle and the end of it. Nor are we given much information regarding what the siblings' lives were like before all of this began, with the only concrete information we have is that their parents died some time before the story started, though exactly when and how they died is never explained. Additionally, even though there are a great number of twists and turns, a lot of these twists don't really have the impact that it feels they should, as no matter how many shocking revelations the siblings are hit with, their general goal remains pretty much the same from start to finish. Overall, the story is good, but there isn't anything about it that blew me away, with even the ending, while not bad by any stretch, ultimately being exactly what I expected. Art & Animation (7.5/10): As a whole, "Scrapped Princess" looks very average, to the point that the visuals can't even be called a product of their time. While the character models and environments are fairly well-drawn, some of the character designs are pretty iffy (particularly the clothing), the animations are pretty stiff here and there and the special effects are very simple and plain-looking. The quality of the visuals becomes downright disappointing when you consider that the animation studio is Bones. In fact, I watched this series back-to-back with another show of theirs, "Gosick", and yet despite the same people working on both of them, there's a world of difference in how the two anime look. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): The soundtrack of "Scrapped Princess" isn't anything to write home about. The music that plays during the episodes are generally quite forgettable, even the ones that play during fight scenes, and it's not uncommon for large parts of an episode to go by without any music at all (or at least none that I can remember). The opening theme, "Little Wing", is the main exception, as while it may not be the most exciting song, it fits the hopeful, uplifting tone of the series really well. The voice acting is great; Kari Wahlgren speaks with a much higher voice than I've come to expect from her, which fits Pacifica's personality perfectly, Bridget Hoffman nails Raquel with the same cheerful tone she uses for Irisviel in "Fate/Zero" and Crispin Freeman voices Shannon with the exact amount of sarcasm and badassery you'd expect from any of his characters. Besides the main cast, the dub features a fair number of great names, including Wendee Lee, Michelle Ruff, Yuri Lowenthal and Kate Higgins, just to name the most prominent ones. Overall, the sound design isn't spectacular, but I would still consider it to be the show's biggest strength. Characters (7.5/10): As a whole, Pacifica is a very kind girl who can't stand to see people get hurt, particularly when it happens as a result of people coming after her. While she can be immature at times like anyone her age, it was never to a point I couldn't handle. I also appreciated that she never shows any angst over being adopted, which makes sense given that the Casulls are the only family she's ever known, with even her name coming from her adopted parents. The real problem I have with her is that she's a very inactive protagonist; while I was fine with her inability to fight, she doesn't have any particularly useful skills that she can use to help herself and her siblings. As a result, she spends the majority of the series just reacting to the things around her and it takes a long time for her to influence the plot in any way, which is especially bad considering she's the one the story revolves around. Additionally, while her angst over the people getting caught up in her mess and questioning if she even has the right to live does make for some interesting character conflict, the issue is that she only ever seems to focus on the benefits her sacrifice would have, while never considering that there are a lot of people who would be crushed by her death, least of all the two people who spend the whole series risking life and limb to protect her. In short, I did like her, but you would definitely expect a lot more from someone who's supposed to be the main character. If I were to pick a favourite character, it would have to be Raquel, Pacifica's sister and the oldest of the three siblings. In contrast to Pacifica, who often puts on a smile to hide her pain, Raquel is genuinely as cheerful as she seems, as well as extremely calm. She can also be somewhat spacey, to the point that being called out on destroying an entire building with her magic and drawing the enemy's attention is to simply say "Oopsie!" Make no mistake, however; Raquel is the furthest thing from stupid. In fact, she may very well be the smartest out of her family, not only in terms of knowledge but emotionally as well. While Pacifica relies on both of her siblings for protection, it's Raquel she turns to whenever she needs emotional support and Raquel does a great job at providing it, not only to Pacifica but to Shannon as well during the rare times that he needs it. While she sometimes feels like an outsider in the family, being notably less close to either of her siblings than they are to each other, Raquel is still an essential part of their dynamic, and she's a huge badass to boot, being able to use her barrier magic in all kinds of creative ways. While I did feel like she was a bit underused at times, the moments when she gets to shine are why she ultimately stood out as the show's best character to me. Lastly, there's Shannon, the middle child of the Casulls, the only boy and an extremely skilled swordsman. In contrast to his sisters, Shannon is pretty cynical and very sarcastic, and is almost always seen with a frown on his face. While he can be a bit of a jerk at times, there's never any doubt that he cares greatly for his sisters; in fact, while both of the older Casulls are against Pacifica getting killed, Shannon is easily the most outspoken about it, stating at one point that he can't tolerate a world that won't tolerate the existence of his little sister, though in the end, saving his sister and the world is his goal. Granted, a lot of things about him are things that are done better by characters in other anime I've seen, but overall I would rank him as my second favourite character, below Raquel but above Pacifica. The series also features a fairly large cast of characters that the siblings encounter on their journey. Examples include Leopold Scorpus (an awkward boy who wants to become a knight and develops a crush on Pacifica), Winia Chester (a kind but withdrawn orphan who becomes close friends with Pacifica) and Zelfris (a mysterious girl from a race called the Dragoons who becomes Shannon's assistant in combat and often gives the siblings advice). As for the antagonists, well, most of them aren't really what you would call "evil"; while it doesn't seem so at first, the Church of Mauser consists mainly of misguided people who are merely going to extreme lengths to prevent a world-ending prophecy, though they're still definitely the bad guys compared to the Casulls, who just want to live happily as a family. Sure, there are some genuinely evil villains as well, but they're the exception to the rule, not the norm. Enjoyment (7.5/10): As I mentioned above, "Scrapped Princess" is generally quite hopeful and uplifting. While you always have in the back of your mind that the Casulls are on the run from people who hell bent on seeing Pacifica dead, the sadder moments of the series are balanced out by plenty of lighthearted ones, including a ton of family-bonding moments between our main trio. There's also plenty of action scenes, and while they're not especially well-animated, it's always entertaining to see Raquel and Shannon fight, whether it's wiping the floor with average mooks or overcoming the odds against more powerful foes. Overall: "Scrapped Princess" is a very good anime, but there isn't really anything about it that allows it to stand out among its peers. It has likeable characters, decent music, great voice acting and exciting action scenes, but these are held back by an unremarkable story and average visuals. Ultimately, I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you're a big follower of science fantasy shows, but otherwise I wouldn't put it especially high on your watch list. Score: 7+7.5+8.5+7.5+7.5=38/50=7.6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 29, 2026 Recommended
Overview:
Ever since Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the "Sherlock Holmes" novels way back in the late 1800s, mystery stories involving a private detective who solves crimes independent of the police are a brand of tale that is greatly enjoyed by an innumerable number of people, myself most definitely included. "Gosick" is an anime that was very clearly inspired by these kinds of stories, while at the same managing to carry its own original flavour. While it certainly has its flaws, the end result is an intriguing and entertaining, yet surprisingly dark series that any fan of the mystery genre would do well to check out. Story (8/10): Set ... in the fictional European country of Saubure during the mid-1920s, "Gosick" primarily follows the viewpoint of Kazuya Kujo, a Japanese teenager from an Imperial family who is currently studying abroad in the prestigious St. Marguerite Academy. Unfortunately for Kazuya, his appearance has led to him having no friends due to people believing he's the Black Reaper, who is stated to come during the spring and bring death to those around him. One fateful day when stumbling around the school library, Kazuya just happens to encounter a mysterious girl at the top of the building. She is Victorique de Blois, also known as the Golden Fairy of the Library, a girl around Kazuya's age who has the appearance of a doll and a mind so keen that she can solve mysteries that even have the police stumped, which is pretty much the only thing that can satisfy her boredom. And so begins a most unlikely bond between these two outcasts, as they get involved in various strange cases where they meet many kinds of people, both good and bad, learning more and more about each other in the process. The series has a whole is divided into various arcs, most of which are 2 or 3 episodes in length. Each of these arcs involve some kind of mystery which Victorique and Kazuya have to solve, usually ending with the confrontation of a thief or murderer. While the individual stories of these arcs are largely self-contained, there are certain elements in each that tie together to form a longer, overarching story, which heavily involves the past of Victorique herself among other things. This means that despite the series telling a different story every few episodes, almost every episode feels important, be it in retrospect or otherwise. Besides that, the stories themselves are all very interesting, and feel very different from each other, almost as though the writers wanted you to empathise with Victorique having her boredom satisfied. Besides the actual story, another thing I really like about the series is the setting, as despite the main characters attending a boarding school, said school is ultimately a background more often than not, with the series making a point to explore Saubure and its history as much as possible, which is definitely a good thing. After all, how many other anime out there are set in a world based on 1920s Europe? Certainly not many that I've seen. Even so, the story does have a few problems that, while not huge, do take away from the series a fair amount. For one, the solutions to mysteries are sometimes such that they are impossible to figure out on your own due to previously unmentioned crime scene details not being revealed until later on, and every time there's a supposedly supernatural element in play (which happens a lot), said element always turns out to have a normal explanation no matter how implausible. There's also a couple of occasions where a particularly heinous crime is glossed over in favour of focusing on a far more mundane one, which I know will rub at least a few people the wrong way. However, even if the storytelling does have a few issues, the plot has a whole still kept me intrigued from beginning to end, with the last couple of arcs feeling like everything the series had been building up to until then, culminating in a highly satisfying ending that leaves pretty much nothing unresolved. Art & Animation (9/10): Don't let the somewhat cutesy art style fool you. From start to finish, "Gosick" is a fantastic-looking series, especially considering the series is 15 years old this year. Not only are the character models all brilliantly drawn and well-designed, the various environments look just as impressive and the animations are generally very smooth and believable. While it may not be the best-looking anime of 2011, it is a pretty big contender, and I would definitely consider this to be one of Studio Bones' greatest efforts, surpassed only by the one and only "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood". Overall, "Gosick"'s visuals are definitely the best thing about it. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Gosick"'s music won't blow you away, but it fits the tone of the show and there are some decent tracks to be found here and there, if not to the extent that you'll be browsing the internet searching for them afterwards. The opening ("Destin Histoire"), and two ending themes ("Resuscitated Hope" and "Unity") are all good enough that I listened to each of them on a semi-regular basis, and each fit the series very well despite their notably different musical styles from one another. The voice acting is great; while the anime was first released in 2011, the dub wasn't released until 2017, and while we'll probably never know why it took 6 years to come out, it's hard to care, with Matt Shipman and Apphia Yu delivering great performances as Kazuya and Victorique, respectively, who deservedly served as breakout roles for both of them. Besides the main duo, the dub also features a strong roster of Texas-based voice actors like Robert McCollum, Elizabeth Maxwell and David Wald, and even a couple of voice actors who usually only do LA-based dubs like Erica Mendez and Lucien Dodge. While I've definitely heard better, all in all, the sound design is easily one of the series' high points. Characters (7.5/10): Although rumours about him being the Black Reaper have led to him being an outcast in his school, Kazuya doesn't really let such things bother him. This is because he has enough to worry about as it is, namely feeling overshadowed by his two older brothers and being put under pressure by an incredibly strict and demanding father. In early episodes, Kazuya often declares that he's the third son of an Imperial soldier, and as such it's his duty to protect girls like Victorique. Problem is, the people who hear this tend to be more confused by it than anything else, and it takes Kazuya quite a while to realise that his status means next to nothing in Saubure. By the mid-point of the series, he stops saying such things, a sign that he's no longer letting his family define him. While certainly not the genius that Victorique is, Kazuya is still very smart in his own right (not unlike Dr. John Watson) and can easily hold his own in a fight when he has to. Even so, there were times when I found myself pretty frustrated by him, with there being a couple of occasions when he tells Victorique that he's done with her after getting sick of her behaviour, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that he knows damn well he's the only friend she has and without him, she's completely alone. At one point, he even threatens to cut ties with her over something that was unquestionably his fault, which feels weirdly out-of-character given how nice a guy he is otherwise. Thankfully, such moments are few and far between, and I did definitely like him as a whole, with his friendship and eventual romance with Victorique being one of my favourite parts of the series. Even so, the best character in the series is undeniably Victorique de Blois herself. While most of Kazuya's character development happens in the first half of the series, most of Victorique's happens during the second. When first introduced, she comes off as an insufferably arrogant and selfish girl who only cares about solving mysteries to satisfy her boredom and treats Kazuya like a servant, on top of having a huge sweet tooth. Overtime, however, it becomes clear that most of her attitude problems are due to her being extremely socially awkward, which is due to her spending her whole life in isolation, first in a tower and currently on the academy grounds, which she can't even leave without getting permission, and she's actually a nice person at heart, on top of being downright adorable (seriously, just look at her). Furthermore, it doesn't take long to become clear that Victorique is AT LEAST as intelligent as she herself repeatedly claims to be, solving complicated cases in mere minutes, if not seconds, and making deductions that could give Sherlock Holmes himself a run for his money. She's also highly dismissive of anything regarding the supernatural, being convinced that there is a logical explanation for everything, which she's pretty much always proven right about. While Victorique does start to show some signs of growth in early episodes, particularly in her interactions with Kazuya, it's during the second half of the series where she begins to uncover the answers she's been searching for all her life, which causes her character to undergo some really drastic changes. By the final couple of arcs, the times she's genuinely mean to others are few and far between, and she even admits at one point that she'd actually rather be bored if it means the people she cares about are safe, a fantastic piece of growth that you almost never see in this kind of story. Ultimately, Victorique is the most interesting, developed and loveable character in the entire anime, and by the end it's clear that "Gosick" was her story the entire time. Throughout the series, Victorique and Kazuya meet many people who both help and hinder them on their various adventures. A prime example is Avril Bradley, a girl from Britain who transfers into St. Marguerite Academy during the second arc. Given their shared status as foreigners, Avril quickly becomes friends with Kazuya, and later Victorique as well, though the latter would struggle to call what they have a "friendship", largely thanks to a terrible first impression Avril made. Like many students at the academy, Avril is a big fan of the supernatural and easily buys into the urban legends she hears, in contrast to Victorique's more realistic and grounded approach. This can be to her detriment, as not only does it make her rather gullible, but it's precisely why she gets off on the wrong foot with Victorique at first. While she's not especially important, it's still nice to have someone for the two leads to interact with apart from each other, and her kind, cheerful demeanour makes it her very easy to like. There's also Grevil de Blois, Victorique's older half-brother and a police inspector, though he's actually a total fraud who specializes in taking credit for cases his sister solves (due to the fact that Victorique's existence can't be made public). Put simply, Grevil is arrogant, flamboyant, constantly calls Kazuya a squirrel because... reasons and acts as comic relief for most of the series, though he does have a serious side that shows whenever the topic of his and Victorique's backstory is brought up, and can be surprisingly vicious at times. Ironically, the time when Grevil is at his most ruthless is also when he's at his most sympathetic, and he ultimately comes out the other end as one of the show's most complex characters. As a whole, "Gosick"'s cast isn't huge but feels very varied and diverse, and while some characters don't get the screentime you would probably like, a good number of them do manage to leave some kind of impression, though sadly it's hard to talk about most of the characters I already have without giving away major spoilers for the story. As for the antagonists of the series, there's quite a lot of them, but they generally fall on the "unsympathetic" end of the spectrum, with most of them having clear motivations for their actions but not to the extent that you'll find yourself feeling bad for them, particularly when anything they may have suffered is far eclipsed by the amount of damage they cause, on top of them being pretty unpleasant people in general. Even so, none of them come even close to being as bad as the main villain himself, who is an absolutely disgusting human being who, without giving too much away, happens to be responsible for almost everything bad that's happened to Victorique in her life, and by the end of the series, you will hate him so much that you will be begging for someone to give him his just desserts. Enjoyment (7.5/10): While it doesn't seem so at first, "Gosick" is a very dark and serious anime. The first half of the series has its fair share of dark moments but still manages to keep a lighthearted tone for the most part. However, things get really dark in the second half, dealing with various dark themes like war, how the occult can be used to sway the minds of the masses, as well as various other pieces of subject matter too horrible to even talk about. The ending of the anime is also highly bittersweet, with the fates of the various characters ranging from happy to downright tragic. Overall: "Gosick" is a great anime that in many ways feels like a throwback to classic mysteries of the Sherlock Holmes era, while also having enough twists to make it stand on its own. The setting is fresh and interesting, the visuals are crisp and beautiful, the music is very good, the voice acting is great, the characters are likeable and well-developed (especially the leads) and while the story does have a few bumps here and there, it still manages to intrigue from beginning to end. Bottom line: if you're a mystery lover, then this is a show that I sincerely believe will be worth the time you spend on it. Score: 8+9+8.5+7.5+7.5=40.5/50=8.1/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 2, 2026
Aldnoah.Zero
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of both seasons.
Overview: It's rare that an anime that gets a lot of praise upon release ends up fading into obscurity, but that's exactly what happened with "Aldnoah.Zero". Initially regarded as a mech series that even detractors of the genre could enjoy, nowadays you'll rarely see anyone talk about it, and sadly it's not hard to see why. While it's a great series in some respects, it's lacking in just as many, and ultimately falls short in achieving what it allegedly set out to do. Story (6/10): "Aldnoah.Zero" is set in an alternate version of the 2010s, several decades after an ancient ... alien artifact was discovered on Mars, resulting in the colonization of the planet, the discovery of technology called 'Aldnoah' and the building of the Vers Empire leading them to be called Martians and those who stayed back on Earth to be called Terrans. Unfortunately, these new discoveries quickly caused the people of the Vers Empire to develop a seriously inflated sense of self-worth, believing themselves to have evolved beyond mere human beings. Cut to the present day and the First Princess of the Vers Empire, Asseylum Vers Allusia (accompanied by her childhood friend Slaine Troyard, a Terran who taught her about Earth) seeks to foster peace between the Terrans and the Vers Empire. Of course, things don't work out that way, as not only does she get attacked when on Earth, but people are led to believe the Terrans are behind it, which is just the excuse the Vers Empire needs to launch an attack on Earth in an attempt to conquer it. Simultaneously, an incredibly level-headed and intelligent teenager named Inaho Kaizuka joins a resistance group with his friends and older sister in order to fend off these invaders. Where "Aldnoah.Zero" differs from other shows of the genre is the style of its battles. Only the antagonists have what you would call 'Gundams', while Inaho and his allies fight using standard army mechs. This would make the Martians invincible, if it wasn't for the fact that they've got the combat skills of an amateur, relying entirely on the flashy abilities and overwhelming power of their mechs instead of any actual tactics, and all of them have some kind of weakness that the heroes can exploit in order to defeat them. Unfortunately, while the fights of the series are creative and exciting, the actual story surrounding them is straightforward, highly derivative and poorly told. Even disregarding the numerous similarities to shows like "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing" and "Code Geass" (in particular, the Vers Emperor looks practically identical to Charles zi Britannia, complete with the same English VA), the fact that the series opens with Asseylum trying to make peace meant it could have been a critique of answering violence with more violence. Unfortunately, that's not the case, as Inaho and the others fighting back against the Martians is always portrayed as right, with even Asseylum herself never doubting this, and there's never any question as to who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The series is also quite formulaic, consisting primarily of the heroes getting attacked by some Orbital Knight (the primary antagonist faction) then them working together to exploit their weakness and defeat them, rinse and repeat. It gets to the point that, after a while, I could practically predict what was going to happen next. As a whole, most of the best parts of the series come from the show's first season, culminating in a great season finale that ends things on a huge cliffhanger that will make you really want to see what's going to happen afterwards. When you do, however, you will probably be disappointed, as said cliffhanger is largely forgotten about by the time the second season begins, with very little consequences in the long run. What's more is that we're introduced to a number of new characters out of nowhere, and several established characters end up developing in unexpected directions that were given little to no build-up beforehand. The worst part, however, is definitely the ending, as not only are we given very little exposition as to what the characters are up to (at least, not until the OVA, which only came out recently despite the series having aired more than a decade ago) but the final battle felt very unnecessary, and just seemed to be thrown in for no reason other than they had to have a final showdown. Ultimately, as much as the show tries to separate itself from other anime of its kind, it just can't help but fall back on familiar story beats, which really begs the question of exactly what the writers were trying to achieve. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Aldnoah.Zero" was animated by A-1 Pictures, one of the better-known studios in the industry, and it definitely shows. While there's nothing revolutionary about the art style, the characters, environments and mechs are all very well-drawn and detailed and the animations and special effects are great, minus a few rough edges and stiff movements here and there. In a way, the show's visuals are much like the fight scenes, in that they value practicality and substance over aesthetics and superficialness, which works in the show's favour more often than not. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): The anime's soundtrack is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, so naturally good music is to be expected. Unfortunately, I would consider this to be among the low points of his career, as while there's nothing wrong with the music itself, there are occasions when insert songs can play in scenes that make them feel overly jarring and bombastic. Ultimately, my favourite song isn't even composed by Sawano, but Yuki Kajiura, whose band Kalafina sings the first opening "Heavenly Blue". The voice acting is very good overall; in particular, Max Mittelman does a great job at capturing Inaho's levelheadedness while also letting faint degrees of emotion seep through to remind us that he's not an emotionless robot, and Erika Harlacher embodies Asseylum's warm-hearted personality really well, though that's hardly surprising since she also voiced Elizabeth in "The Seven Deadly Sins". As a whole, the series consists both of voice actors who were just beginning to make their name in the business, like Zach Aguilar, Erica Lindbeck and Erica Mendez and veterans whose careers date back to the early 2000s or even earlier, like Julie Ann Taylor, Kirk Thornton and Lex Lang. That said, the dub has a couple of miscasts as well, like Todd Haberkorn as a character who only appears in the first few episodes and Vic Mignonga as one who only appears in the last few and doesn't do anything particularly noteworthy. Overall though, the sound design is definitely one of the show's high points. Characters (7.5/10): It's made apparent from the first couple of episodes that practically nothing fazes Inaho, to the point that his reaction to seeing one of his friends get atomized is to simply say his name in the same tone of voice he'd use when greeting or addressing someone. That's not to say he doesn't care, however, because he does; he just doesn't let his emotions get the better of him. His levelheadedness and strategic mind quickly become the greatest assets the Terrans have, and are a large part of the anime's appeal. Exactly why Inaho is so calm is never actually explained, though the loss of his parents at a young age may have had something to do with it. What can't be explained is the moments when he suddenly acts out-of-character; one example is in the season 1 finale when he suddenly sports this really disturbing smile that's supposedly meant to show how deranged he really is... which doesn't work since he's shown smiling normally multiple times both before and after this incident. It seemed that the writers were going to take his character in a darker direction moving forward but then dropped the idea, as like many things in the season 1 finale this is forgotten about by season 2. But while his character can be inconsistent at times, he still stood out as my favourite, not that the competition is especially steep. Then there's Asseylum Vers Allusia, who's my second favourite character. Asseylum is established right away as someone who values peace above all else, as evident by how the series begins with her going to Earth to achieve such. Due to being childhood friends with a Terran, she's one of the few Martians who doesn't regard Terrans as inferior nor her own race as a 'master race', views that are initially held even by her own handmaid, Eddelrittuo. The fact that she just wants everyone to get along yet belongs to a race that is hell bent on ensuring that doesn't happen makes her someone that's easy to root and feel sorry for, and she can be surprisingly badass when she needs to be as well. Sadly, while she plays a very prominent role in the first season, she has a greatly reduced role in the second and a lot less notable moments, to the point that she doesn't even get a single line in the first half. This is given an explanation via circumstances, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing, and she overall came off as a less competent Lacus Clyne or less developed Relena Peacecraft. The third and final member of the main cast is Slaine Troyard, a childhood friend of Asseylum's whom she saved five years ago. Because of this, Slaine is fiercely loyal to the princess and is willing to do things he normally wouldn't if he can justify them as being for her sake. While he starts off kind and mild-mannered in season 1, by season 2 he's become much more ruthless and ambitious. While I did like and sympathise with him, Slaine is my least favourite of the main three by a wide margin, as while he's technically the most developed, said development doesn't feel natural since most of it occurs off-screen during the 19 month time skip between the two seasons, and it's not really made clear exactly how he came to the conclusions that he did. It's accurate to say that the Slaine of season 1 and the Slaine of season 2 are completely different characters, and I do not mean that in a good way. Besides the three leads, the series features a pretty large supporting cast, and while I did come to like a fair number of them (particularly Inaho's older sister Yuki and childhood friend Inko), just as many failed to leave an impression and ended up being completely forgettable. And speaking of forgettable characters, very few antagonists in the series are developed beyond a caricature, with most of them having no personality beyond racism, arrogance and general unpleasantness, to the point that the enemy mechs are often more notable than the people who pilot them. There are exceptions to the rule, but they are precisely that- exceptions. Enjoyment (7/10): Military mech anime are generally quite dark by default, and "Aldnoah.Zero" is no exception, even going a bit further than the norm. While the battles are consistently entertaining and exciting, the tone of the series is consistently dour, and the comic relief is rare. What's more is that Asseylum, probably the only character without a single bad bone in her body, has her well-meaning efforts for peace constantly thwarted by bloodthirsty Martians who are hell bent on dominating humanity. It got to the point where I felt as though Asseylum was better off giving up trying to make peace between the two races and just joining the Terrans. Overall: "Aldnoah.Zero" tries its damned hardest to be a dark twist on "Gundam", with its David vs. Goliath style battles where people have to rely on logic and tactics to win instead of a super weapon. Unfortunately, once the novelty of the fights wears off, you're left with an uninspired story that falls apart in its second half rather than coming together, inconsistent characterization and a bleak tone that often makes it difficult to care about what's going to happen. It's still worth watching for the visuals and music, but ultimately I won't be able to blame you if you end up walking away disappointed. Score: 6+8.5+8.5+7.5+7=37.5/50=7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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