Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girl Review

Overall Rating 7.7 out of 10 - Both funny and nostalgic to gamers of the 90s

I recommend watching to all gamers and possibly to others as well.

This show would be somewhat hard to understand or appreciate for those who did not play video games in 90s. There are lots of references to popular titles such that were available on Sega consoles, but some were ported on PC as well. Famous Sonic does appear, but even somewhat more obscure Golden Axe with its dwarf character as well. I myself played Golden Axe on my 286x and 386x with that very character most of the time.

The girls themselves are based on Sega consoles, Sega Mega Drive (Genesis), Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast. Unfortunately, Dreamcast was the last of Sega's attempt at competing in console market, it lost to ultra popular Sony Play Station 2, Nintendo's Game Cube and X-Box. 

Girls look rather cute; designers knew what they are doing with the design. Cute twin tails on two of them, gentle movements and manners, nice likable personalities and so on. Kawai so, cute uwu. I like Mega Drive somewhat more because she is more autistic and nerdier, but Saturn and Dreamcast are nice as well. Each of them have both chibi and full-size versions. 

CGI has some visible imperfections, but they are not too noticeable. Mega Drive glasses seem the most standing out of these. They are like games of 2000s when technology still did not allow full photo realism, but good 3D artists could still do decent work putting them together.

The show has somewhat subtle absurdity style (Gintama, Nichijou, Excel Saga) humor too. Sega does not hesitate to make fun of some of the things they did in the past. It can be fun to watch even if you were not gamer back then.

On the weaker side is possibly visuals. Sure, they reference angular, visibly polygonal or pixelated games of the old. However, there are few locations outside of that and they are not that extensively decorated either. There is nothing to show you Witcher 3 levels of quality of graphics. That is just a minor issue for a nostalgic gamer, but someone who is not a gamer might find visuals lackluster. 

Overall, I still recommend it. For games that is a very warm and pleasant experience that can remind you of better times. For others an interesting journey into history of video games. 

Shy Review

Overall Rating 1.2 out of 10 - Horrible. This show does everything wrong.

Do not watch no matter what. I dropped after episode 1.

I thought that with my experience in anime I will never again watch something as horrible as Guilty Crown. However, this show managed to catch me off guard because of its title: Shy. I like shy girls so I thought it would at least be decent, I was wrong.

To begin with creators cannot even draw their heroine properly. You cannot tell if she is boy or girl. On top of that, she looks unduly deformed compared to other characters. Seha Girls could manage to make their girls look cute despite low budget previous generation CGI. In Shy they fucked up on purpose to mess with viewers.

Other characters are mostly unlikable as well. Neither drunk hero, nor blond girl or her brother are appealing in any way.

Story is no better. Typical hippy peace and love, no war. Heroes here just saving children from things Fire Brigade could have done. Excel Saga does it ironically in a few episodes, but here they are dead serious about it.

Overall, I cannot find a single reason to watch this mess.

Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu Ω Review

Overall Rating 5.3 out of 10 - Barely passable.

Watch only if there is nothing better.

This is a second season of the show with the same name. Already original was not all that great as its premise suggested. However, it somewhat held and was more or less enjoyable. 

Second season made that even worse. It added several more characters, most of whom are not that cute. Even someone like automated maid Rose seem lack in cuteness and gentleness half of the time. Lumachina only cute no more than 15% of the time and Laminitus not at all.

Plot is also noticeably nastier and uglier that the first season. Unlike shows like Black Lagoon or Jigoku Shoujo here all this darkness does not serve plot well. Instead, it ruins rather cozy fantasy setting of the original rather than add up to the setting. Dark setting works well with shows than can be considered classical tragedy, while shows that closer to classical comedy could only be ruined by it.

There are some likable scenes and characters, like for example harem of rival Demon Lord, but they are few and in between.

In fact the only thing that more or less makes this show passable are occasional fan service scenes in episodes 3, 5, 6 and 9 if I remember correctly. 

I watched the original a while back so held some expectations for this. Until episode 5 I wanted to drop. Episodes 5 and 6 rejuvenated my interest and then I carried on with the last few episodes simply because I already finished 80% of the show and at this stage I wanted to see it to its conclusion.

Overall, I do not recommend it, but it's not as bad as some other shows out there. Also, first season here is better than second one by large margin, so rather watch that one.

Sidonia no Kishi: Ai Tsumugu Hoshi Review

Overall Rating 6.3 out of 10 - A little upsetting epilogue for Sidonia Saga.

I still recommend watching.

This is a direct sequel for two seasons of Sidonia. Unlike the second season, this one can be watched standalone.

It introduced many new gimmicky looking characters that looked like some Disney or Cartoon Network family friendly exercise. Fortunately show did not focused on them too long and eventually continued the original story. 

The biggest intrigue was what have Ochiai discovered when he learned to understand Gauna. Unfortunately, that will forever be unresolved, as Tanikaze just killed him, and they also destroyed the Gauna's repository of knowledge.

They also learned to how Ochiai's technology behind transferring personality works. However, they only used to make Tsumugi human and did not resurrected Hachijiro. Tanikaze and human Mugi together had an annoying kid. Tsumugi already less reserved and more mischievous compared to Hachijiro and kid went even further that direction. Alas.

On the positive side, art is crispy. Battles are engaging and flashy. Data interface is not as fancy as in Arknights but still decent.

They decided to add some more color to their black, white and grey aesthetics but still refused to add large Hatsune Miku like twin tails or cat eared girls, that is a disappointment.

Overall, they have good tech, but they are not using it to make life better. This show shows why technocracy is retarded and only techno-liberalism or techno-libertarianism is the way to go. Actually Half-Life 2 shows it better.

Anyhow I want a lab grown girl with perfect personality. However, they problem with their government is that they do not do nice things even when they can.

Overall, it's a decent show with some good ideas here and there. I recommend watching.

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku Review

Overall Rating 7.5 out of 10 - Well written battle royale with magical girls

I recommend watching.

After release of the original Madoka Magica, a subgenre of dark show with magical girls became somewhat of a trend. Many tried to create a similar show and failed. Madoka Magica itself got many sequels like Rebellion Movie or Magia Record, all of them bad. 

However, this show does stands out by being reasonably good. While it could not recreate the same level of classical tragedy or likable characters, the original Madoka managed, it is nonetheless managed to be very entertaining in its own way.

Unlike Madoka, where each girl had intrinsic reasons to do what she did, here scriptwriters settled for a battle royale format to push girls fight each other. Much like how people like to describe Madoka it begins rather innocent and peaceful, but things do escalate as show progresses.

I like Nemurin most because clouds are cute, and resting and sleeping is based. I also like Swim Swim because she is quiet and obedient, but also smart. Also, headphones are based. Hardgore Alice, Snow While and Sister Nana are also nice. 

Overall quality of story is good here. There are plenty of interesting and well through plot twists, that keep show unpredictable, yet does not make you cringe over implausibility. Scriptwriters did a very good job. 

They did not try something as highbrow and 7D as Groundhog Day style plot of Madoka, that only explained in episode 10. Because of that, unlike Madoka, this show is more accessible for wider audience. Unlike Madoka, you do not need to be very smart to understand what is going on.

Art is good, magical girls design is very creative and aesthetically pleasing. Some characters are more likable than the others. I did not feel the same attachment or sympathy to anyone as I did in Madoka, but most of them are nice.

Finally, it does not have OST as awesome as Madoka but it's not essential for every show.

Overall, it's not on Madoka's very deep level, but still on a very respectable 7.5 tier.

I recommend watching.

Obsolete Part I Review

Overall Rating 6.7 out of 10 - Has some good ideas, but inconsistent with them.

I recommend watching.

This one is rather unusual show. Not only art style in unconventional for anime but story and presentation as well. It starts with an interesting premise of an alien technology that is being sold for limestone. And follows with several small expositional videos on how such tech might end up being used around the world and how it will transform it.

Some of these expositions however are more insightful than others. The creator seems to have partial understanding of how world works and thus sometimes write something very deep and other times wishful thinking cliche.

Art is realistic, but also plain and drab. It is CGI, but rather well done one, no sticking out polygons or plastic look like in Unlimited Fafnir for example. It does somewhat lack of crispiness compared to Sidonia or hack//GU Trilogy.

Overall, it's worth watching it.

Arknights: Touin Kiro Review

Overall Rating 6.3 out of 10 - Waifus got worse while plot and art somewhat better.

Still worth watching.

Sequel to original Arknights that took the wrong turn right from the first minutes of the first episode. 

Kindness, care and protectiveness of Amiya was one of the best aspects of the original show. Warm cozy bunny was very endearing, you could readily want her and her caring kindness in your life.

Here they just went on and made her refute her past self for half of the first episode. New Amiya does retain some of her original self, but that is shadow compared to her past self.

Most of the previous cast only make cameo appearances and are replaced by newcomers. They kept the least likable ones and added more unlikable characters to the mix.

On the other hand, story and plot saw an improvement, I do not remember much of the original's story, but it was rather tedious. Here it's often better, but that varies from episode to episode. I would not call the story exceptional as some events are clearly stretched for plot twists sake. However here they at least trying to make it interesting.

Art is probably even better than in the original. This sleek modern technogenic design of characters and electronic devices is awesome.

Overall, I can still recommend it.

Chunibyo Parody - Chapter 2: Dark Fries Master Drinks Chunibyo's Blood

Next chapter of the parody, the first one can be found here.

Chunibyo: Dark Fries Master, when will you finally drink my blood and make me a high vampire just like yourself?

Yutward: My title is Dark Lord of Darkness, not Dark Fries Master.

Chunibyo: Yutward, please drink my blood.

Yutward: As a high vampire I do not need to drink blood to sustain myself. So, I will pass.

Chunibyo: If I do not become a high vampire, I will age like those mortals. Eventually I will become old and unattractive. Then I will die. However, if you drink my blood then we can live together eternally as Dark Fries Master and Black Widow of Death. Then we can witness how universe will end and be destroyed by being absorbed into a Black Hole.

Yutward: What with that title. Do you even know what widow means, you delusional chunibyo?

Chunibyo: It has something to do with marriage but darker. So, I picked that. I want to marry you Yutward.

Yutward: Like hell it means marriage. Buy a dictionary, you dumb cunt. Also stop confusing my title.

Chunibyo: Dark Lord of Fries, please drink my blood. 

Yutward: Why there are always Fries in that? I will take you to Macca and make you eat fried until you vomit.

Chunibyo: Oh, Yutward, we can finally go on a date.

Yutward: Why you, Nika

Chunibyo: I have abandoned that name eons ago, I am Black Widow of Darkness

Yutward: That was just the other Thursday.

Chunibyo: What about my blood?

Yutward: Alas, my fangs were sealed by the Twilight Watch. I cannot use them even if I wanted to.

Chunibyo: I knew that was the case, that is why I brought this syringe and blood testing kit. With that we can extract as much blood as we need to make me a high vampire.

Yutward: That will not work if it's not a direct contact between my fangs and your neck...

Chunibyo: We do not know unless we try. I already filled two wine glasses with my blood. We can drink them together for our eternal future together.

Yutward: So that is why whole bathroom was covered in some red substance. I thought you tried to make a magic circle.

Chunibyo: That took a while to get a hold to, but I eventually managed.

Chunibyo pulls a tray with two wine glasses full of blood and raises it to Yutward.

Chunibyo: Please drink, Yutward.

Yutward: That is a lot of blood, you will actually die if you keep doing that. You delusional chunibyo.

Chunibyo: I will die and be reborn as high vampire and will live...

Yutward thinks to himself: At this stage I might as well just drink it. A glass of blood will not kill me. I will look cool drinking it. Regardless of if it works or not, she will have to stop pestering me about becoming a vampire. Besides I do wonder what blood tastes like.

Yutward gestures in front of Chunibyo. Chunibyo looks at him with starry eyes.

Yutward: Very well, by the power of Dark Lord of Darkness, I shall drink your blood and grant you vampiric immortality.

Yutward grabs one of the glasses and drinks is down. Chunibyo keeps looking at him with starry eyes.

Yutward: So, do you feel any different now?

Chunibyo: Hmm, not really. Maybe we need fresh blood. I will make some more. With all my expertise with blood test kit, it will not take long.

Yutward thinks to himself: I pity vampires for having to put up with this nasty substance for their sustenance. Here I have to drink another one. However, after that she would have to make peace with impossibility of becoming a vampire and leave me alone.

Chunbyo filled another glass with her blood and offered it to Yutward. Yutward drank it just as he did the first one.

Chunibyo: Somehow, I feel even weaker than before. Perhaps I should hold the glass as you drink.

Yutward thinks to himself: I am starting to regret that I choose to call myself high vampire.

Chunibyo prepared another glass with her blood and offered it to Yutward.

Chunibyo: Please, Yutward. 

Yutward thinks to himself: she makes such cute puppy eyes sometimes. Whatever, with stories of drinking blood I will have a harem of virgin maidens at my disposal and Nika will confirm that it did happen.

Yutward drinks, Chunibyo frowns.

Chunibyo: Still no effect. Maybe you should hold me in your arms as you drink.

They tried that as well

Chunibyo: Perhaps I should hold the glass as you simultaneously hold me.

They tried that as well. By that time Chunibyo looks completely frail and exhausted and Yutward dizzy with all the blood he drank.

Chunibyo: Perhaps if we kiss and you drink blood and...

That day ambulance had to take two people to the hospital. One with anemia, resulting from excessive blood loss. The other one with indigestion due to excessive amount of blood in the stomach. 

Yutward had to go through extensive diagnostics, as doctors tried to figure out what could cause so much internal bleeding when all his internal organs were in good shape. In the end they concluded that it was likely causes by a radioactive elements poisoning, similar to Polonium poisoning of Litvinenko. 

Ever since secret police guarded Yutward from second assassination attempt as national intelligence tries to figure out reasons why Russian government decided to assassinate this seamlessly ordinary guy.

Chunibyo is proud that government have finally acknowledged Dark Fries Master's importance and provided him with underlings. As for Yutward himself then:

Yutward: What the fuck did I got myself into...

Why Lelouch's life would not have turned out differently if he did not met CC

Lelouch said to CC that he intended to do what he did even without Geass. Ultimately he would have still seek the way towards the power over the world and circumstances.

Ultimately both Kallen and Shirley were as much of his "destiny" as Kaguya was. Out of three Kaguya was the most self-aware. All three of them played their own delusion about being his one and only. They themselves wanted to be with him, but they had nothing of what Lelouch wanted. None of them managed to understand them even in the end.

At the very end, shortly before her death, Shirley did commit to abandon her previous life and enter Lelouch's world of insurrection (rebellion). There was a subtle, but clear change in her way of thinking during her last episode. However, we did not get to see how that could play out: how much Shirley could have become even like one of the girls on Ikaruga.

Limbo Shows

After I purged most of the clearly bad shows, a few of the dead average left. They fall somewhere between 5.5 and 5.0. I do not hate them for anything or hate them enough to drop them, but at the same time do not particularly enjoy them. Because of that I just keep them in reserve in case I have nothing better to watch.

Show like Jashin-chan Dropkick, how not to Summon Demon Lord, how to not pick girl in the Dungeon and a few others fall into this broad category, that I only delve if I want to diversify things I watch.

Some of them might somehow get better at some later episodes, most would probably get a rather mediocre review at the end.

Considering there are too many bad shows like Konosuba, this is a prudent approach to mid shows. After Jashin-chan beats Konosuba and NGE by wide margin even if it loses to Kill Me Baby by as wise of a margin

Busou Shinki Review

Overall Rating 7.9 out of 10 - Really Great Show, almost as good as Frame Arms Girl

I recommend watching.

Somehow in modern anime all good girls are palm size. As if girls' size is opposite proportional of her likability. 

I watched this shortly after Frame Arms Girl, both of this shows are surely a big bright spot among the typical woke drivel that modern woke industry likes to churn. 

Both Busou Shinki and Frame Arms Girl depict women as they should be and as we like them. That alone is good enough reason to watch both shows. 

Both are about little armored girl figures and walk and talk on their own. However, each franchise has its own approach to this them. I rated Frame Arms Girl a little higher, but each show has aspects at which it can beat its immediate competitor.

I will start with what Busou Shinki managed to get better compared to its competitor.

First of all, Busou Shinki has a male master and shinkis are very devoted to him. They crave their master's approval, do chores: clean, cook and help him out in various ways. They are too small for many tasks but struggle to accomplish them anyhow. All this is very endearing to watch. This is the best aspect of the show.

However, shinkis keep calling their master scatterbrained, while Frame Arms Girl have nothing but admiration for Aoi. Something shinkis should learn from FA Girls.

Personality wise all four main shinkis are very nice and cozy, especially Ann. However, their personalities are somewhat inconsistent throughout the show and sometimes they do things that seem out of character somehow. One time they all starry eyed and happy and soon after drink nitro and get drunk.

They even made an episode where Ann becomes human and goes on a date with master. Partly similar to how May in Hand Maid May later becomes human size. However, if May retains her original personality, then large Ann instead runs around and gets master to buy her stuff. Such as missed opportunity to get relationship right.

Story wise its more diverse than Frame Arms Girl, but episodes are hit and miss. Some like Okinawa trip were very nice. Others are more dubious.

Now on some things Busou Shinki went short compared to Frame Arms Girl. First of all is quality of animation of Busou Shinki is more dated compared to Frame Arms Girl. Visual design of girls is much more thought through in Frame Arms Girls and done consistently better. Busou Shinki animators sometimes slacking in keeping their girls consistently shapely, curvy and sexy. Also Frame Arms Girl is much more consistent with what it was trying to do, even if their episodes were somewhat less imaginative. 

You can clearly see that Frame Arms Girl was made by much more experienced studio. Lack of innovation and imagination is compensated with consistency as well as surefire popular tricks and tropes. You can be certain it will be well polished pleasant experience. Kind of like Nintendo.

In contrast Busou Shinki is rougher and more experimental. Sometimes they get it great, other times them miss by a several meters. You can see rough edges here and there. Yod do not know if next episode will make you think they are greater than FA Girls or cringe instead. Kind of like Sega.

Overall, however both of these shows are worth your time. This is a competition at the top, like Schumacher and Hakkinen or Senna and Prost. A lot of other shows I have been writing about recently were closer to Willams vs Haas with occasional case of Arrows, Spyker, Manor or Mazepin.