Clannad

First post in 2018 after a long time since my last one. I bet that most of you know this anime, or maybe even watched it already. As always, I will review both seasons. For you who doesn’t know this anime, Clannad: After Story (the second season) is very famous and often listed as top tear-jerking anime. However, I must say this in the beginning, I did not cry at all watching through all the episodes. Still, I won’t say that Clannad is not a great anime.

Clannad tells us a story about Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa in their journey to revive the school’s drama club. As time goes by, they get helped by four other girls who have their own story and problem. While Clannad: After Story tells us about the life of Tomoya and Nagisa after they graduated and face the “real world”.

So, Clannad is one of those “harem” anime by Key (which is popular). As other anime adaptation from Key as well, Clannad has a heart-warming story to tell with beautiful girls and sad stories from each character. Clannad points out the importance of friendship in a beautiful way.

While Clannad is already heart-warming, I think that heart-breaking is more suitable for Clannad: After Story. Not just that this anime reminds us how life can be very tough, the main point of this anime is more personal: family. I understand how many people cried when watching this anime since there are a lot of heart-breaking scenes. Overall, I like both seasons, though the second one is better.

As typical Key anime, the drawings are very nice with soft color palette. The character designs are what you will find in harem anime, though I don’t say that they are bad. It’s just that nothing is special. But, the music is very touching. I like most of the songs and I think that the BGMs really support the story, so kudos to that.

Once again, even though I did not cry while watching this anime, both seasons of Clannad are very recommended.

MyAnimeList overall rating: 8.63

Personal rating: 9.00

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Arakawa is probably my favorite comedy anime. There are a lot of jokes that successfully bring laughter to my face. It is an anime about Kou Ichinomiya, a man from a wealthy family that accidentally falls to a river one day. After being saved by a stranger named Nino, Kou said that he would do anything to pay back to Nino. However, what Nino asked is for Kou to become her boyfriend. Kou that can’t refuse then forced to live with Nino under the bridge.

Even from episode 1, I knew that this anime is not “normal”, and I was very right about that. There are a lot of unthinkable jokes that you won’t believe that this anime something comes from Square Enix. Basically the story is about everyday life under the bridge. But, with a lot of unique residents, you can’t expect thing to go the way we know.

I think Arakawa really uses their unique characters as the strength to build such a comedy. Every character is strong. They leave a strong impression, not just because of the appearance, but also because of the character itself. I found myself can’t stop watching the anime after I started. That’s just how good and absurd it is.

Probably the style of the animation is also what makes me like this anime a lot. It is similar to the style of Monogatari series (probably because they are both from the same studio). Not just that, the seiyuu of Kou is the seiyuu of Araragi, and the seiyuu of Nino is one of my favorites, Maaya Sakamoto.

Apart from those aspects, I found that the art is very consistent with bright colors. The character design is not perfect, but it does a very great job, and I don’t think that such a detailed character (for example like CLAMP’s character) will do as good as this.

The opening and ending songs are what I don’t really like from Arakawa, except for one opening dedicated to my favorite character in the anime, Maria. The music is very catchy and the lyrics are stunning. However, the BGMs are not that memorable as well. So, this may be the weak point of the anime. Still, I highly recommend this anime, especially is you need some laughs. Guarantee you won’t regret it.

MyAnimeList rating: 7.68

Personal rating: 9.50

Bakuman

Bakuman tells us about Moritaka Mashiro, a student who loves to draw as an influence from his deceased uncle who was a mangaka. One day, his classmate, Akito Takagi, came to him and asked him to make a manga together. To convince Mashiro, Takagi took him to Miho Azuki’s house. Not just being Mashiro’s crush, Miho Azuki is also a girl who has a dream to become a voice actor. Together, the three goes through the ups and downs to realize their dream.

When I saw Bakuman, I thought that the creator start from a really simple thing. A story of two boys who want to be mangaka. Yet, from such a simple idea, born a manga that is later adapted to an anime that has a very good story. Similar to Shirobako, in Bakuman you will see how it is not easy to make a manga, and how hard it is to reach your dream. But, as long as you are stick to it and do your best, the result won’t disappoint you. The challenges and results coming from hardwork are something enough to make me watch all three seasons of Bakuman.

As the story goes, you can also see how Mashiro and Takagi are developing, both individually and as a team. Also, you will see how every side characters get enough portion and they are more than gimmicks.

Bakuman is a mainstream shounen anime, apart from the story, this side really shows on the artwork and character designs. Personally I like it because the backgrounds and character designs are simple, clean, and consistent. One thing that doesn’t really catch my attention is the soundtrack. The songs used are very “shounen type”, and they are not my choice of songs. But when you hear the lyrics, the songs really fit with the story.

Overall, Bakuman really takes time, because it has three seasons with 75 episodes in total. However, Bakuman worth the time, especially if you are into shounen genre.

MyAnimeList overall rating: 8.50

Personal rating: 9.00

Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish

So, this is another Japanese movie that I watched recently and accidentally. The story tells us about a university student named Tsuneo. He worked at a casino where he heard a story about a weird old lady who always takes a stroll with a baby cart. After that, Tsuneo finds that lady and found out that she takes her grandchild to a walk everyday with the baby cart because her grandchild can’t walk.

One of the things that I like from a Japanese movie is the comedy part, and this movie has it. It makes me laugh, however, it doesn’t last long. With the length takes almost 2 hours, I got bored through half the movie. The idea of the story itself is great and it can be a one touching movie even with some silly parts. But, it turns out to be that boring romance movie.

The worse thing is that I decided to finish it, because the worst part of the movie is the ending. I don’t want to spoil it here, but I just asked myself like “really? That’s it?” because I just can’t understand what the ending really wants to tell us. Also, the length is too long that there are so many unimportant parts that actually can be used more to build the plot of the story.

Apart from the story, it also has the thing that I also like from a Japanese movie, the color hue. With that calm color that gives you a soothing feeling and definitely doesn’t hurt your eyes, the movie is pleasing to be seen. Unfortunately, the taste of the music isn’t really fit my taste. It gives you that kind of old movie feeling, though the movie is not really that old.

I don’t really suggest this movie, but you can watch it if you have the time. Because even if the ending is disappointing, I like how the characters are very unique here and I think all the actors done their job very well.

IMDb rating: 7.6

Personal rating: 6.5

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Makoto Niwa is excited to face his adolescence when he moved to other town after his parents went abroad. However, what he is facing is not what seems to be normal. He discovers many eccentric characters, from his unknown cousin to a complete stranger who claimed herself as an ESP.

It is hard to make a synopsis of Denpa Onna because there are a lot of things happened in a rather slow pace. As I mentioned, there are many characters with their own uniqueness. The first episode really took my interest to watch the anime. However, due to the slow pace, to be honest, I’m kind of bored when finishing this anime.

Still, when I try to look deeper to the story, I can see some good values hidden within the story of a boy’s adolescence. The main value that can be really seen is about how people have their own uniqueness. There are so many different type of people, and somehow we can’t say whether they are right or wrong because we are not them. We don’t know what they’ve been through before meeting us.

Another value is that people change. There is this one episode that tells us about the daily routine of one of the characters. Of course I won’t go to detail because I don’t want to give spoiler. Yet, I can say that from the episode, we can see the background of the character, and how this character changes because of what happens in life.

While I got pretty bored, I won’t deny that related to the value that I spoke; there is clearly a development from the characters. However, I think that it can be seen more clearly after you watched the whole anime.

I guess that for some people that think Denpa Onna is boring, the art is what makes them keep watching the anime. I love the character design with great color palette used for the background and everything that is very enjoyable to the eye. More from the characters, personally I think that some scenes have similarities to Monogatari series because of how the characters speak and act.

As for the music, both the OP and ED are what you will find in some moe anime with a rather absurd lyrics and unique voice. The BGMs are simple but somehow it resembles the atmosphere from the anime. So, even though I’m not a fan of the music, I can say that they do great.

Overall, Denpa Onna is a light-hearted anime with a slow pace. It is good, but I don’t think that everyone can enjoy it and really see what this anime is about.

MyAnimeList rating: 7.31

Personal rating: 8.25

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha

This anime tells us about a normal, clumsy girl with a name like a shrine, Fushimi Inari. Since she was a child, she always love the temple and care for other. However, her shyness makes her unable to get closer to her crush, Kouji Tanbabashi. One day, she got a help from the Deity in the temple to make her dream comes true after Inari helped the deity’s familiar. Since then, her life is changing.

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha only comes in 10 episodes with one episode OVA. Even though the story is predictable like a typical schoolgirl romance anime, I think that this anime is heart warming and enjoyable to watch. Inari herself is that typical girl who wants to chase her first love, with all the excitement and awkwardness that is relatable with most people in my opinion.

Apart from that, another problem that becomes the main focus in the story is whether a deity or God can get along with human. I think it is interesting to see how the deities are pictured in the anime, with their own plus and minus, making them are similar to human if we talk about the personality. However, of course if I have to choose then my favorite character of all will be Kon. So cute!

Don’t expect much twists from a short anime because you won’t find it here also. The stories and characters are developing, but I must say once again, that they are predictable. Still, I won’t also say that the story is bad. It is good as it is.

Move to other elements, the graphic and music. Personally I like the graphic, though they are not the best and not as detail as we-know-who. It is like most anime you can find today with the pretty girls and cute expressions.

I think that the music really help a lot in building the atmosphere. With a touch of Japanese traditional music, the BGMs are relaxing when you listen to them. They also blend with the story. The opening song is not my favorite but Maaya Sakamoto’s song in the ending is really good.

Overall, I will recommend this anime when you just want to laid back and enjoy the pace. Besides, 10 episodes aren’t really that much.

MyAnimeList rating: 7.28

Personal rating: 8.00

Barakamon

Barakamon is an anime about a famous calligrapher, Handa Seishuu, who is sent to a small village because of his bad attitude when a veteran called his winning piece as “unoriginal”. The young and talented yet narcissist artist is now has to adapt to live far from the modern Tokyo. There, he wants to find new inspiration while learning new things he never thought of before in a place that will force him to face various people and events in the society.

Slice of life is usually not my type of anime because I found some boring. Yet, Barakamon has succeed to make me finished it in a day. The story is simple, but it comes with a good comedy and maybe it gives me a perfect image of how simple it is to live in a small village where people are nice, sceneries are pleasing, and you won’t find problems like traffic jam and people looking at their phone all the time as you will find in the city everyday. Through this anime, I went on a vacation where I am able to relax myself.

That said, you could see how I really pleased with this anime. The story of Barakamon is simple yet great and touching, supported by various interesting characters that are also developing through the anime, and of course, good comedy. The art is not mesmerizing but perfectly fit the story. The OSTs are also great, especially the opening and ending songs.

I personally find it hard to criticize this anime. To tell you the truth, if you look at it piece by piece, they are far from perfect. The story is simple, the art and character design is what you will find in most slice of life anime, the OSTs are great but not that special, and the characters are what you will find in your everyday life also. However, all of that components are so balanced that they make this anime as perfect as it is. So, if I have to say something bad about this anime I will just say that this anime should have been longer and make me laugh more.

MyAnimeList rating: 8.50

Personal rating: 9.75

Kimi no Na wa

Kimi no Na wa is a new movie from Makoto Shinkai with a bit of supernatural genre in it. The story comes with two main characters that live in two different conditions. The first one is Mitsuha, a countryside high school girl who dreams to leave her city and move to Tokyo. Another one is Taki, a high school boy from Tokyo and also a part timer in an Italian cafe who has strong interest in architecture. One day, a while after a moment of a fallen comet, Mitsuha dreams that she become a high school boy, while Taki dreams that he becomes a high school girl. What is exactly happening to them?

If you are similar with Shinkai’s works, you will get it once I said that this anime is so Shinkai-ish. For the first couple of minutes, maybe you won’t get any sense of this anime. But, after that, you will get to know what this anime is about. Of course, as this anime is so typical of his works, I can pretty much guess the ending, though that doesn’t make me enjoy the anime less. While the anime can be said as lack of surprise, yet the story is heart warming and I find it very enjoyable to see both characters that lead very different life. Unfortunately, the supernatural thing is not described really well. It just happened, so I guess that’s the main minus point of the story.

I won’t say much about the artwork, as we all know Makoto Shinkai is great. The details, the colors, everything is almost perfect while I can see that actually there are a lot of better character designs (with hotter guys and cuter girls), but I guess it is not a very big deal. The characters themselves are your average high school students. It is common for Shinkai to have simple characters. But, I can’t feel the connection to the characters. Like, they are too brief explained and they left me with just a little impression. The OSTs are done by a Japanese band RADWIMPS. The songs are good with the lyrics are helping to build up the emotion, but sometimes it feels a little off and for me personally, I think an instrumental will be better for a background in the middle of the story.

Overall, this anime is great, though Kotonoha no Niwa is still my favorite. This anime can pretty much give you an emotional roller coaster and I think that this anime is a must watch.

MyAnimeList rating: 9.39

Personal rating: 9.25

Kiznaiver

Kiznaiver focuses on Katsuhira Agata a poker-faced teenage boy who can’t feel any pain and is often bullied. Even though he feels nothing from getting beaten up, it makes his childhood friend; Chidori Takashiro worried and said that he has changed. One day, Katsuhira, Chidori, and four other teenagers, Niko Niiyama, Honoka Maki, Hajime Tenga, and Tsuguhito Yuta who attend the same class were kidnapped and forced to join an experiment called “Kizuna System”, a project that tries to connect people through pain in order to promote peace. They, now also known as Kiznaiver must complete a mission to be released from the system.

Kiznaiver has a unique concept that, once again, is not very well done in the execution (sorry to say that). The story is actually very potential, but instead of making it more interesting and complex, the production stopped it at 12th episodes and it makes everything seem to be just “all’s well that ends well” and left some things unanswered. The characters are developing, yes. But not in a very special way, rather in a way that you can see in most anime about friendship and another thing is that they were supposed to be unique in each different way, but it ended up the characters are not that unique as well. There are some funny scenes as well but unfortunately they don’t help much. So, I must say that the story is not that interesting as it seems.

The two things that pretty much good of this anime are the arts and musics. The background is designed to be colorful and I think that it is great while the musics are emotional so it helps build the ambience of the anime. Not so impressed by the character design, tho and somehow I was reminded with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann after looking at some character.

I will recommend this anime if you are looking for something a bit different, but it is best to not have a high expectation. At this level I don’t think that a second season will help because of the way the story ends.

MyAnimeList rating: 7.71

Personal rating: 6.50

Nana

This anime tells us a story about two very different girls who share the same name, Nana. Komatsu Nana is a naive and easy to fall in love girl that wants to go to Tokyo to chase her boyfriend. On the other side, Oosaki Nana is a strong girl with punk style who wants to go to Tokyo to chase her dream as a musician. The two met each other during their way to Tokyo. After separated ways, the two suddenly meet again on their search of a place to stay and ended up with staying together as roommates. Through thick and thins, these two girls become best friends while going through uneasy life filled with friendship, romance, and music.

Before, I keep telling myself to watch this anime later because it has 47 episodes. However, I only needed two days to finish them all after I started. Nana is an interesting anime that shows how life is not always as we want it to be. One of the best things is the character. Through each episode, they develop very well. At first, I don’t like Komatsu Nana at all. Yet, later on, I can relate a bit to her. She is just a simple girl who wants everything to go well. Of course, we all do want the same thing. The plot won’t get you bored and things are told well about each character that you know why and how they become like that. One thing that is not very satisfying from the plot is the ending, or to be more exact, the last episode. Somehow it all seems that they just want to end it already even without giving a clear happy ending. However, apart from that, you will see the struggle through everyday life and the importance of friendship portrayed very well.

Other than the plot, of course the other best thing is the music. You may be getting bored because they only sing some same songs for the entire anime. But, if we think about it, actually it is pretty realistic since “practice makes perfect” and this anime is also about a band chasing their dream to be a great musician. The opening and ending songs are great that I still listen to them sometime now and they are also pictured the story of the anime. The art is presented in a shoujo comic style and I think that it is good enough though you won’t see much eye candy except if you are a fan of that tall and very thin characters. Overall, this anime is enjoyable though maybe for some of you, there are just too many episodes.

MyAnimeList rating: 8.56

Personal rating: 8.50