Black Lagoon Review

Overall Rating 9,0/10 Exceptional

I recommend it.

Many like Black Lagoon for its wild shootouts and badass characters, but I would not have given it 9 if it was just that. This show is much more than just that.

Black Lagoon is about sadder, derker side or reality. About a world of unlucky misfits who are trying to survive in the underworld of Roanapur. It is a world that lives by its onw peculiar rules that balances intersts of several diffrent criminal organisations that make money trading in weapons, drugs, people and other things illegal in normal society. The Lagoon company is part of this economy, working as Roanapur's analog of FedEx.

"Use your head if you want to survive."

Careless hotshots do not last too long there. Sometimes they die quickly however an occasionally gifted one manages to go down in full blaze and glory, plunging the entire town into chaos as they fight a desperate fight they could not win.

"Sh#t out of luck."

Everyone in the main cast ended up in Roanapur because their original lives did not worked out well. Rock escaped abusive boss and bad corporate culture of his original work. Benny hacked something he should not and now FBI wants him behind bars and mafia dead. You can only guess what Dutch done to end up there, as for Revy ... once you see her you will get a pretty clear idea.

"Somehow we ended up in the middle of the shootout, but may be we can take advantage of the fact that they are too busy killing each other and make our way out. I by one do not feel like drinking while catching bullets in the back."

These guys, much like Kaiji from Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji want to survive and get ahead in live, despite of what fate throws at them. Their motivations and way of thinking makes them way more relatable than characters of many other shows. 

They are bewildered by they past grudges, bad experiences and heavy emotions. That make their actions more nuanced and they make much more sence compare to characters of something like Samurai Champloo for example.

Show has plenty of references to various past conflicts and events to explain actions of certain characters. That makes it more grounded in reality. As are references to bribing the police or CIA involvement, disguised as "Rip-off chirch".

It is very philosophical too as main characters trying to make sence of the world and contemplate their own lives as they try to reconcile their own desires with what is going on around them. They often come out as nihilistic, however they can look rather life affirming for a disillusioned, cynical person such as myself.

Well Revy is not much or a waifu material, but I find her very relatable as a person. Tragic life experiences from the past made me about as nihilistic as her. That monologue from the sub in episodes 4 and 5 is a good example of this kind of thinking.

Last but no the least it is one of the best sorce of epic quotes out there. I probably should not spoil this any more then I did already, but couple of them are there in this review. Also they are best in the context of the situation.

I often criticize second seasons, but here it is as good as the original. That applies to The Second Barrage only.

That does not apply to Robeta's Blood Trial. This unfortunate disappointment completely ruined Robeta's character to me, from perfect version of the Violet Evergarden she was turned into a psycho instead. Such a shame.

Sora no Otoshimono Review

Overall Rating 5.0/10 - Average, mixture of good and bad.

Consider watching for Ikaros, but best is just getting her pictures separately from the show.

The one good thing about this anime is Ikaros. And bad is pretty much everything else.

If instead they made a show where Ikaros and Sakurai travel the world and fight leather clad Demonoids or something. Like Raki and Clare in Claymore. I might have given it 7 or 8. However we got this instead.

If it is not clear enough, Ikaros is very cute and likeable girl. She is pretty, quiet, well behaved and willing to do anything to please her master. A perfect girl, if only all of them were like her the world would be heaven itself.

For that reason alone, I might have recommended this show, much like I did with Another, simply because Mei Misaki is cute. 

However, I cannot recommend Sora no Otoshimono, since, unfortunately, Ikaros does not get enough screen time. And when she does gets screen time, show do not present her in the right way.

Story driven by unlikable mean purple-head, who comes up with most 'activities' and an even more unlikable 'killer-chop' brown-head who gets too much screen time and love from creators. It does not even get better when another angeloid is introduced, snarky Nymph.

While some episodes are fun, most are weird and makes you feel uncomfortable. Ikaros does not get enough screen time to compensate for show's faults.

Sure, shy timid silent girl like Ikaros makes it hard to make a narrative, but Claymore did manage just that. Even Darker than Black managed with Yin.

Revolutionary Girl Utena Review

Overall Rating 9.0 - Exceptional

Literary Fiction type of show. I recommend for thinking viewer.

Absolute Fate Apocalypse - Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku (Modified Version)

Pravda vítězí - Truth Prevails

This is more of an analysis that a review, but I feel I need to write it here.

This is more than just a show. It elaborates on what traits and qualities appeals to the opposite gender. That is what makes attracts people in the opposite gender and how Akio and Anthy exploit it. How you can exploit it as well. It is however discreet requires you read between the lines to get most out of it.

It will tell you about about the big lie that you need to overcome in order to obtain love. However you have to be listen carefully to its discreet message in order to understand it. This anime ahs a lot of wisdom to share with those who can listen.

This is a story of a witch, who stole the prince from all other women of the world. Her name is Anthy Himemiya. 

In a way she is like a metaphor to anime itself, that managed to attract so many people, turning them into otaku who pick waifus instead of chasing girls. However there is more to it then just that.

That happened because Anthy understood what qualities make men like women. Because of that knowledge she managed to become a Rose Bride and now men fight for control over her. Now she enjoys attention of all men, who all want to have her.

She also endures hatred and envy of all women, who can't bear see men prefer her to them. Other women cannot understand why men want Anthy. They think that they are better, more mature and sexier than Anthy and deserve attention way more than she does. They bully Anthy over that. They also fight in duels over her hoping to win and supplant her.

However they could not win, either in duels or in romance. Nanami, Kozue, Wakaba, Juri all failed. They do not have timidness and kindness, girliness if you like, that is needed to attract men.

Because none of the other girls managed to understand how men think. None of them managed to realize that it is not Rose Bride's status that grants her all this attention but the above-mentioned personality traits. These traits attract men and allow Anthy to be a Rose Bride. 

Men like this kind of innocent girls. Saionji, Miki, Touga, even Akio are all like that. Even I myself once fought and won a IRL witch like that and then lost her somehow sometime later.

Anthy can skillfully exploit that. For example she acted just like Miki's sister used to when she was younger. That made Miki fight Utena over Anthy. 

Kozue wanted Miki back but just could not understand what it takes, so she failed.

Anthy often looks like a victim in the story. However in reality she is not truly innocent. She feigns innocence, timidness and kindness to win men, discreetly looking for the best suitor and eventually finding one in Utena of all people.

Akio is the only one who knows that Anthy is faking innocence. Because of that he is not completely enamored with her, but instead watches melancholically Anthy's fate.

Akio, he is male equivalent of Anthy. A man whom all the women want and men want to be like him. He is the proverbial prince Dias, the 'prince-charming' of all girls' dreams.

This show lets you see inside his mind. This is not a fairy tale and Akio is not out there to 'make every girl a princess', as this show puts it. Instead he uses his charm for his selfish ends. Among other things he seeks a girl he would deem perfect for himself.

Akio plays 'End of the World' role both for himself and Anthy, to find a perfect suitors for themselves. I mean of course they are not content to just play perfect suitors for all this other people. They wish to find happiness for themselves, not just grant it to others. There is nothing wrong with that.

Other people may be love them, but this felling in itself is selfish. Just because you love does not mean you can be satisfy your suitor. Their 'victims' are not that innocent themselves.

Akio wants to find a truly innocent and naive girl and notices that in Utena. He decides to take her for himself, in some way he leads her towards himself and almost gets what he wants. That girly version of Utena in the very last ark is perhaps what his idea of perfect girl is. One of the times when she is female uniform. Pure, innocent, willing to please, unspoiled - a perfect girl.

Akio almost gets her, but in the end Utena rejects Akio in the end and says Anthy's 'prince' instead. 

Show does ask you if her becoming a prince herself was such a good idea? She choose that, you do not have to.

Anthy would make a good gf or wife, if she did not abandoned Akio at the end of it all and stopped being a Rose Bride.

Utena as well, if she chose the path of Akio's princess at the penultimate episode, but she picked up a sword.

Among other things it is also a story about what is it like to actually be an attractive person, whom everyone wants. Naruto for example is the opposite, trying to win affection of girls, peers and his superiors. 

Akio and Anthy have more than enough of this. They have love of everyone around them, but that does not make them happy, in some ways they even struggle with all this affection.

This show also shows that different perfect 'princes' deep inside are not such a nice people. After all life is not a fairy tale and the more perfect the prince is the more he wants from a girl in return. 

I know cause I am an evil prince myself and expect a lot from any girlfriend wannabe. It that regard I can actually relate to Akio. Any girl who wants to be mine has to be prepared for a lot of sacrifices. Sacrifices from her for my sake.

This is not a fairy tale, however one can learn something important from it all.

Time and history only goes forward. Anime, moe and kawaii cannot be defeated, you can only learn from it and become one. Go full anime.

Code Geass Review

Overall rating 10 Masterpiece - Greatest Anime of all Times.

Both a Literary Fiction type and a normal entertainment at the same time. I wholeheartedly recommend you watch it.

There are plenty of good anime, there are many great anime. There are few outstanding ones, that manage to go beyond entertainment and manage to predict future or advance human understanding to a new level. 

The good examples are Revolutionary Girl Utena, that managed to explain love and delve deep into human psychology. Serial Experiments Lain managed to predict how internet will change life and humanity.

However there is only one anime that managed to go beyond even that. That is Code Geass, a true masterpiece and a greatest artistic achievement of mankind.

It is a story about a man who took on the world itself. He fought against the world he did not approved and won. 

Fate is not kind to everyone. Sometimes it takes away what one treasures, other times refuses to grant them what they seek. Some resign to their fate. Yes others fight against it. This story is a acclamation of such approach to life. A glimmer of hope for those like him.

Protagonist is not some sort of paragon of virtue, who only does good. However that makes him all the more relatable. He is driven by his own wishes, desires and, peculiar to him, sense of justice. In a way he ends up forcing these upon the world.

This is a story of Lelouch vi Brittania, prince who was abandoned to certain death, yet managed to survive and come back with vengeance.

As for entertainment value, this show has everything one looks for in anime:

Elaborate plot with plenty of cliffhangers, challenging opponents and situations. Every other episode Lelouch comes from near death to triumph, then back to near death the and back to triumph again. 

However no matter how crazy plot turns every now and then, it all makes sense from logic of the story. There is never a moment when you would ask 'why even do this?'

Good and diverse cast of characters. All of them a very well written and do not feel like just another simple stereotype. Each have their own, backstory, reasons to fight, judgement and way of doing things. They all very well fleshed out and believable.

Actually powerful opponents that make battles as full of intrigue as match between national teams of Germany and Brazil. Lelouch sure has supernatural powers but he is not the only one.

Battles themselves are won not by some luck , willpower or determination, but by cunning and elaborate strategies, that border between genius and insane. Plans are one the level or even better than 1st season of Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji

It has better mechas than Gundam. Even better than UFO Robo Grendizer. Great attention to details of design and functionality.

Art style is, of course, a subjective topic, but show is beautiful and well drawn. Once again great attention to details, insignia and overall cohesiveness of design.

Last, but not the least, good female cast. Code Geass has the best female character of all times, CC. The way she supports Lelouch throughout his journey and saves him from all possible dangers is very commendable. She has nice personality and an interesting backstory of her own. She is actually much more nice, loving and caring the she gives herself credit for. You grow to like her more and more as you learn more about her.

It has more physical fanservice too if you are more into it.

To top it all up, it is very philosophical. Characters argue and comment about every possible philosophical topic. Most prominent of them all is search for happiness, to which several monologues are dedicated.

To sum it all up, Code Geass is definitely a masterpiece you should watch. 

For better results, watch it after watching several simpler, but good shows, such as Girls und Panzer. That way you can better prepare yourself to this grandest of all delights.

Another Review

Overall Rating: 7 Good

I recommend you watch it.

As a horror story it would be an understatement to say that this anime has significant flaws. The whole story about cursed class where people dying one by one because of an extra person makes little sense. As it develops it gets even more dubious and pointless. If I were judging, it by this metric, I would have given it 4.

However, this show has one redeeming quality and that is Mei Misaki. Mei Misaki is calm, somewhat shy girl with troubled past who struggles with it. She often avoids people and prefers solitude.

I find her really cute and watching her is really interesting and pleasant. She is my type of girl. There is plenty of screen time for her since she is the main heroine.

The way she is ostracized by the rest of her classmates makes her all the more endearing in my eyes.

This is the anime that somewhat converted me from person who only watches for the plot and ideas to a person who, nowadays more and more, watches for nice and pleasant characters.

Samurai Champloo Review

Overall rating 3.0/10 - Mediocre to Annoying with few redeeming qualities

Do not watch.

Whole deepness of this show is vastly overrated, it has nothing beyond its drab ascetics and unlikable characters. It is what sophism is to actual philosophy.

Despite that, this is one of those shows that some people will recommend as if it is next best thing since sliced bread. I do not feel this way. I tried to understand what it even is and that is what I have come up with.

This is basically a Girls Bravo but for female viewers. 

Guys Bravo if you like.

In Girls Bravo a guy, who has a combination of all qualities, females do not like in men, manages to get himself a nice, likable and sexy girl Miharu from a literal moon.

In Samurai Champloo a female, who is a combination of all quality's men hate in women, hangs out with two handsome badasses with Katanas.

Show has some rudimental plot about looking for a samurai that reeks of sunflowers but forgets about it almost immediately. Instead, we get mix match of episodic stories unconnected both story wise as well as stylistically. They range from Mugen and Jin cutting down the entire towns full of mobsters over some stuff to a literal eating contest competition. Show can't quite decide if it is a slice of life or an action. 

It is ugly and rude simply for the sake of being ugly and rude. As if the show deliberately tries to be as disgusting as possible. Tatami Galaxy for example ugly but it is not rude. Unlike something like Gintama it does not tries to be funny and is not.

It is called Samurai Champloo because not even creators themselves could tell what it is about. Samurai because of dudes with katanas aspect and Champloo because it is some sort of mess.

However female viewers might find this show entertaining because of "handsome badasses with Katanas" aspect. In that case I can also recommend you Cowboy Bebop, which has a whiter space cowboy Mugen, but no Jin. Well, any shoujou/josei will work for you, unless you actually have refined taste.

For guys there is no point in watching it at all, unless you want to pick some traits from Mugen and Jin so that girls like you more. Usui from Kaichou wa Maid Sama is another good example of what makes girls crazy.

Hidden Gems of Anime

My treasury houses only the finest of the finest anime. Here they are with a little annotation to each of the. Watch them and you will improve your mongrel taste into slightly more evolved mongrel taste. 

However, visit my AniList for full list.

Space Captain Herlock

I think this was big back in the days, it influenced the industry in many ways.

.hack//Sign

This is the original isekai from before isekai were cool. A good one at that.

Claymore

Very good show better than Berserk I would say. Good plot, nice girls. A perfect blend if CGDCT with Berserk brutality.

5 cm per Second

The best and only romance anime, that could touch even my ice-cold heart.

Portrait de la Petit Cossette

Artistic and creative. Deeply psychological

Darker than Black

Unusual action story gets better in the second half. Yin is best girl but there is much more to it than just her.

DearS

BDSM romance anime. I mean not hentai/porn but actual romance.

Elfen Lied

Really good and actually psychologically deep and profound. Will resonate well with people who had traumatic experiences.

Girls und Panzer

All round good and fun, cute girls, compelling plot, tank battles. Easy to watch.

Girls Bravo

Original harem slice of life. Home of actually likable girl Miharu, that IRL girls should strive to imitate.

Hellsing Ultimate

Hellsing Ultimate. Brutal over the top badass vampire action.

Infinite Ryvius

People compare it to Lord of the Flies. That and they also have to fight against society that tries to destroy their spaceship.

El Cazador de la Bruja

Awesome story about two likable girls. It has lots of action and original plot.

Jigoku Shoujo

Send your abusers to hell here. Traditional Japanese aesthetics and feel as well. Sober and solemn mood.

Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu

Next Watamote or better Komi-san. Nice and compelling story about a girl who struggles to talk to anyone but wants to make friends.

Planetes

Philosophical and existentialist. Has a lot of existentialists thoughts illustrated by the crew of Space Debris collection department.

Serial Experiments Lain

A story about how internet changed society. There is even an imageboard named after it. That is how impactful it is.

Sora no Woto

Interesting both artistically and thematically. Existentialist too. About war, peace and just everyday life. A little bit of everything.

Arabian Nights: Sindbad no Bouken

Old but gold. Good thematically, good music and art. interesting plot. I do not see why people rank it so low.

UFO Robo Grendizer

May be old style but a much better mecha show than Gundam or Mazinger.

Mushishi

Kind of relaxed, eerie and traditionally Japanese at the same time. Good to just relax watching it.

Accel World

Flawed but curious enough experience, but it has great potential as well if done slightly better. I can see the big idea behind it.

Excel Saga

The original anime comedy that is actually funny. Was fun before Gintama even became a thing.

Hand Maid May

Awesome harem anime. Protagonist is IT expert who actually built all these girls and sent them back in time to his past self. Rare harem anime steals plot from Terminator 2 movie.

Bondage Game - Shinsou no Reijou-tachi

And finally, the one about treating women properly.

Check my anime list and your taste in anime will improve a billion light years.