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60-SECOND REVIEWS

I wouldn't call myself a fan of the series, but I have found it to be consistently solid. I've even tended to enjoy the parts of the series that others have found weak, particularly for how it manages to make training arcs and school arcs feel important because of their focus on smaller characters, slowly building out the depth of Class A. But now that the characters, their growth and powers, and the final conflict has all been properly established and the last pieces have been set up in the excellent Season 6, it's finally time for the final battle.

And, overall, it's a disappointing ... final battle. In most ways, it's your average shonen finale big battle, where all the twists are expected, villains don't stay dead no matter how hard they get hit, and the heroes have to learn to punch harder than the villains in the end.

Lifeless backgrounds, and constant animation loops and still shots during fights make My Hero Academia feel outdated and risk-averse, particularly in its oh-so standard storytelling and battle choreography, for what should have been My Hero Academy: Infinity War.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

I had high hopes for this show, made by WIT and the talented industry vet who directed several of the Attack on Titan seasons (and is set to direct The One Piece remake/re-whatever). The scale looked grand and the action scenes looked to give me a similar visceral reaction that the Attack on Titan fights always managed to do.

In the end, the world is fairly creative and the fights are kinetic and consistently fantastic, but the story never justifies its slowness and tediousness.

There are a handful of good ideas and a whole lot you’ve seen before, paired with your standard bland characters ... you will forget about the moment they are off screen.

Shades of slow burns like Gundam or Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but without any of the thoughtfulness in the writing. So in the end, all I can really recommend this show for is its fight scenes. I hesitate to call any part of it bad, simply mediocre.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

I can't imagine you're here for any reason other than Hayao Miyazaki's involvement in this children's show. If you're a Miyazaki completionist, you'll want to watch the show. It's got that Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro energy and vibrancy in the artwork and motion. The story, on the other hand, well...

You can tell a lot of passion was put into this series, particularly in making every frame alive with motion and color, particularly in the incredibly-done HD remaster.

The series is episodic with essentially no through-lines or development. There are a handful of really solid episodes and many, many others that are terribly predictable, ... underwritten, and boring. It's obvious this was written for kids, but kids deserve more thoughtful writing too.

The main problem is that this is Sherlock in name only. This is not a mystery show. The answer is always, always, always Moriarty. Unless I miscounted, I believe 24 out of 26 episodes, Moriarty is behind the schemes. Sherlock himself doesn't come across as all that smart when he has to say the equivalent of, "By Jove! The culprit must be Moriarty!" practically every episode. Like, yeah, no sh*t, Sherlock! You'd think everyone would catch on at some point.

If you're planning on watching the English dub, um, don't. The dub somehow has worse British accents than Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, which is an achievement in itself, I suppose.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

Look how they massacred my boy! My sweet, spirally snailboy!

Junji Ito is an auteur and Uzumaki is perhaps his greatest creation. And, boy, was I looking forward to this for YEARS since that initial announcement. Junji Ito has never once had a good adaptation of any of his works, but maybe MAYBE this would be the one.

And then to pull off one of the worst bait and switches I've ever seen, releasing a first episode which was fantastic and everything I ever hoped and dreamed it would be. Maybe a little rushed, but that's okay. Finally, a great adaptation! And then episode ... 2 released, then 3, then 4. Episode 1 is a strong 8/10 and worth a watch. The rest is a 3/10.

You know, perhaps the real spiraling horror is getting excited for every new Junji Ito adaptation only to be let down time and again.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

This is hands-down, without a doubt, the best thing to come out of this franchise since 1991. But honestly, that's not saying much at all.

If you're a Terminator fan or liked the first two back in the day, I'd recommend this series. It doesn't push the franchise forward in any bold ways, but what is here is pretty effective with several absolutely fantastic scenes and moments, thrilling and horrifying, edge-of-your-seat chases and shocking twists, particularly in the last three episodes.

I don't imagine it will blow many people away--unlike the nuclear bombs that detonate throughout the franchise, hey yo!--but it's a solid good ... time, with multiple 9/10 moments spread throughout that may stick with you for a long time, a thrilling third act, and a hefty shot of adrenaline this decaying franchise desperately needs.

7.5

60-SECOND REVIEWS

The show labors under the delusion that "random = funny," which it often doesn't, at least not if the punchline is simply being random for random sake. But in a brainrot era, it makes sense. It's obvious this show was tailor-made to be shared in short clips on TikTok to go, "Wow, that show looks so crazy and random! I should check it out." Honestly, it probably worked, because this was one of the most talked about shows of the season--at least until everyone realized that it kinda sucks.

It makes for a handful of good memes, but while some gags work, most don't, and ... I imagine most people will stare stone-faced at their screens, waiting for one of the nonstop barrage of insane, loud things happening to actually be funny.

The best part is the OP. Just watch that for 5 hours on a loop and you'll have a better time.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

The original series is one of my favorites and Holo and Lawrence are two of the most likable, well-rounded and developed characters in anime with conversations which drip with intelligence and heart-fluttering chemistry. But the original series only ever adapted four novels and it's a 2000s show, which unfortunately means very few people will ever give it a try. Please, people, watch more older shows!!

So it's time to reboot it, and maybe this time, they'll adapt more of the story. I can only hope.

Beautiful music, cheap-looking animation. It's a tough tradeoff. No one element in the production stands out, but it is ... a very faithful and complete adaptation of the books. Because there's slightly more room to breathe, the books are adapted almost wholesale, most conversations from the book translated over word-for-word, which is great.

The 2009 version of Book 3 was considerably better, but otherwise, this and the original are about on equal footing. And, I know this is controversial, especially coming from a Holo stan, but I may even like this Holo more than the 2008 version. Though it's hard to nail down why exactly, apart from her perhaps being a bit more expressive and the flow of conversations a bit more natural.

And it's obvious that the budget didn't go to the backgrounds or horses or side characters, but that they put all their money into animating Holo to be as beautiful and emotive as possible. It was a very deliberate choice, but one I'm sure appeals to modern anime fans more.

The original English dub cast for Holo and Lawrence are back and they are absolutely exceptional. Always have been. There are very few English dubs I recommend wholeheartedly. This is one of them.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

This one's a bit of a mixed bag of mixed quality. I loved the strategy in the fights and the intricate world building, which between the world and the game-like, rule-following fights they have throughout the show, reminded me of Hunter x Hunter. Unfortunately, the adaptation itself often confuses what is actually happening on screen.

This may also be the single cheapest looking shounen I've seen in years. Flat and choppy, and the sequels only slightly improve on this.

Toei Animation makes weak adaptations of great sources--just take a look at large portions of their One Piece adaptation or how drawn out Dragon Ball Z ... was--and this series deserved much better. There are great, fantastic moments sprinkled throughout, which only serve to give a glimpse of how great this material could have been in better hands.

It's hard to give this one a full skip, because the way tactics are integrated into the numerous fight scenes, each one filled with strategy and clever decision-making, each fight treated like its own puzzle to solve. Your mileage with the characters will vary. I liked a few of them, but there is a huge cast of side characters who have very little to set them all apart, so outside the central characters, it's all pretty bland.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

I really loved the Great Pretender series in 2020. Apart from the ending, of course, which may honestly be one of the absolutely worst endings in anime. Drop it alongside season 2 of Promised Neverland or the final episode of Wonder Egg Priority and it would fit comfortably. But we don't have to talk about the ending, because everything else was great. The intricate setup and thrilling payoff of every con, each con different than the last. I couldn't get enough of it, and hoped desperately for a season two.

Well, no season two. We get this instead.

I didn't care for Dorothy in the original ... either, but here she's particularly unlikable. I did like Jiang, though not enough to save this boring and unremarkable movie-length ONA that BARELY utilizes the show's unique premise with a tame story that falls apart all-too quickly.

Watch the original show. Skip this one.

60-SECOND REVIEWS

A series that really duffs its potential. It sets itself up as a rejuvenating slice-of-life about a burned out guy reconnecting with his love of golf through the untainted love of the sport from a young girl. It's sort of like Barakamon, but without the comedy and without the old dude really learning any life lessons.

Instead, he learns unorthodox golf techniques from the girl, Tonbo, and she learns traditional techniques from him. So it's a lot more technique-focused than I was expecting. If you really love golf, I could see you liking the more in-depth discussions. But if you're hoping for a quote-unquote sports ... anime, maybe look to Rising Impact, and if you are here for the more peaceful, slice-of-life approach to casual golf, you may also walk away disappointed.

Also, it's neither here nor there, but this is one of the ugliest shows I've watched in ages, but it is primarily aimed at getting kids into golf, so since it's a kids show, maybe I can give it a bit of a pass.