jaysshukla Reviews

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2020)

Good concept. Less Drama

[6/10 · 24 April 2024]

The concept could be really interesting even for the normal anime. Since it is used in Yaoi, we could only imagine the shock value of the mind reader uke character that there is a man interested in him. There were some bunch of nice set-ups that could help in bringing the characters together.

However, since the characters were 30 old, they would show so much maturity that never do we see them fight, despite the series of misunderstandings. That's where the apparent creative ideas were lost. The characters in Yes Ka No Ka Hanbun ka were also older. However, they weren't salarymen and they had unique jobs that would make them somewhat famous. Hence, we could at times see them behaving like young people, who would often end up expressing themselves openly. However, in this Cherry magic anime, the certain layer of professionalism is never lost in the main characters even when they are enjoying romance. In fact, one of the secondary uke character was a young dancer, just recently graduated. We could've expected him to be bit dramatic but no even he was behaving like the grown-ups. He has a one tooth face and upon few meetings, his seme love interest, who is an author, reveals that he has started writing the tsundere characters lately unlike before. However, never did I notice any of his outright Tsundere traits. Moreover, you desperately needed an other character to convey that he is a tsundere.

Quite similarly, there was a female character, a fujoshi, who seems to be reacting how the mangaka thought the fujoshi and fudanshi viewers react. But her character that tried to be a bridge between the viewers and the two of the main characters fell down like a London's bridge. Since there was never any major tension or any hyper exciting moments between the two characters, one may not feel too excitement while watching this series.

I did like the concept so much because in the end, as the character loses his ability upon having the sex, it gave me the feeling of it's much larger purpose in the storyline. From the character's perspective, it is the kind of a universal or the godly assistance he received to have a chance to connect with someone.

Overall, it is a decent series if you don't expect much. Good enough to kill time.

Animal (I) (2023)

Animal

[8/10 · 20 December 2023]

There is this character of Ranbir Kapoor, who appeared as an old man in the first scene. The year mentioned was 2056. Then we see him getting severely injured almost multiple times - literally requiring an heart transplantation to survive and also goes deaf. He still manages to survive at least till his 70s. We still don't know what he is yet to go through in the sequel Animal park. In fact, it was surprising how he managed to stay alive throughout the movie. The kind of a character he was, it wouldn't have been surprising had he gone through numerous assassination attempts time and again. His fighting style though was never explained. What kind of skills he possessed. From where did he learn them. What makes him easily handle dozens of men at a time. Those men, the henchmen of the antagonists would certainly be trained fighters.

This is a masala entertainer and you won't be bored watching this movie despite it being 3 and the half hours long. The movie as a whole seems to have paid tribute to the Sikh empire who fought against the Afghans and also paid homage to the Maratha empire for a brief period.

Major Saab (1998)

Major Saab - The match maker saab

[3/10 · 23 September 2023]

Okay, so we see cadets and a major here in the military uniform but no this time they are not getting trained or prepared to fight for the country, instead we see them trying to reunite lovers.

I wouldn't have seen much problem with the above theme but the establishment of it itself is disturbing. Ajay Devgan's character is interested in inheriting his father's property and thus decides to join NDA, in a hope that he would get to run away soon. Soon after the plot progresses, Ajay Devgan's father's will was neither mentioned nor does Ajay's motives matter anymore.

Guess what, we never get to see Ajay Devgan contemplating on his father's main reasoning for him wanting to join army or straightening him, rather what made him stay in the NDA is 'his love for the heroine Sonali Bendre'. No matter, how typical 90s does it look like, how it can ever convince the serious viewers but this so called love (where Ajay even tries to forcefully kiss and molest Sonali) had enough intensity that he wants to do well by being in the army only. For his love, sure he could've easily end up staying in the city, but how can one develop interest in something, which requires extreme struggle, rather than simply inheriting the father's property and get settled in the same city as Sonali. Not that one could still hope to win over the girl's heart. In short, a stupid character development.

Now imagine your boss sticking a photo of your wife on your desk. Here, the major sticks his cadet's girlfriend's photo on the tree just to inspire him to train harder whilst also telling him now this is your destiny. This is one of the most unintentional funny scenes I have ever come across. That was really good for the guilty pleasure.

So much of action in the movie and we only see the army fighting the civilians and not the enemy soldiers. Will this movie ever convince you that if you are in an army, all of your colleagues and bosses would help you in fighting the baddies and to win over a girl? That too when simultaneously taking the oath to fight for a nation. Who has got this much of time in the military. Who would interfere in someone's personal life like this. Remove the army angle from this movie and it easily becomes lot better. If willing to show the army works, why not show us what they exactly do?

Despite all this, Amitabh's dialogue delivery was nothing short of outstanding. Few quotes were also well-written. It almost made me forget how horrible this movie is. However, the actress who played his wife was at times annoying.

Last but not the least, the lyrics Kehta hai pal pal tumse hoke dil yeh deewana, ek pal bhi Jane jana mujhse dur nahi jana, calms me greatly! Very melodious song.

One Two Three (2008)

Could have been better

[6/10 · 19 November 2022]

It is a good if you just want to kill your time. I actually like it when the comedy is situational. Otherwise, there are times when some movies try desperately to somehow create a comedy, mostly in vain.

In this movie, there was always a good setup for the comedy and for the most part of the movie it does go as expected. However, somewhere in the middle of the movie, the things are feel unnecessarily dragged. Maybe they are indeed dragged to turn this into an almost 3 hour movie. Moreover, it does not even succeed in making you look forward to the conclusion as all the misunderstandings were only cleared in a most simple way possible. As expected, all the characters do end up being at the same place by the end of movie but unlike few other bollywood comedy movies, it does not create any chaos and hence might have fell just short of entertaining the viewers.

As I mentioned, I liked the comedy setup for this movie but that's all to it. Watch it only if you have nothing better to do.

Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar (2001)

Underrated

[8/10 · 31 July 2022]

It is a very underrated movie. The build up was good, the foreshadowing was outstanding, some good comedy as well. Few scenes would give you Hera Pheri or De dana dan vibes. One thing I like about the Priyadarshan movies is that he keeps things very simple and doesn't exaggerate anything. I don't care if his movies are south remakes. Back in those days, we only had access to Hindi movies and few Hollywood movies. One would have to dig a lot to access the regional cinemas back in 90s or 2000s.

Despite most of the songs being completely different from the storyline, they don't feel misplaced at all. In fact, I really enjoyed the movie's soundtrack.

The movie did have few shortcomings. Somewhere you would feel the movie drags a lot and takes it's time to resolve things. Moreover, after the movie ended I kept wondering about few characters' fates. They were somehow significant but didn't show up at all during climax or pre-climax.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021)

Treat for the JJK fans

[9/10 · 1 July 2022]

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has everything you could ask for - your favorite characters from the series (yes, the movie includes everyone except the three main characters from the series), their special moments, emotions, elegant fights, comic reliefs etc.

For a movie, the story feels good. What exactly adds to the beauty is that we get to see more depths and progress in the characterization of Gojou Satoru and Geto Suguru. I am taking 1 score out of it because eventually the character of Okkutsu has found its conclusion and as a result his character hardly feels relevant to what we have watched or are going to watch in the main series. And yet it was supposed to be canon. For the movie purpose, it was still good.

Soundtrack is amazing and it really sets the mood. It's highly recommended to watch this on the big screen. Whether we talk about Gojou's blue eyes or the fight scenes against Suguru, much of it feels overwhelmingly great in the theater.

Kunwara (2000)

Some unbelievable gaps

[5/10 · 5 June 2022]

I still remember watching this movie on the silver screen as a kid. It was just weeks or months before that I had watched Hera Pheri as well. Hera Pheri is the first movie, which I remember enjoying so much in the theater. The movie made me keep laughing for hours. I became a fan of comedy genre. Watching this movie as a kid or watching a back to back comedy movie too wasn't disappointing at all. I got to laugh for hours that's all mattered as a kid.

I decided to revisit and watched this again. Johnny Lever managing to act dead for more than a day and yet Urmila wasn't suspicious even for a while felt as silly as ever. But of course I understood that it was meant to be silly. Govinda and Johnny Lever too executed it so well. Probably no other actors would've managed to pull off something like that with such perfection. There was a character in the movie played by Aarif Sheikh, who was shown as an extreme moron, trying to impress Urmila and always complaining about Govinda. Moreover, managing to mess up things almost each time. That's where I felt the supposedly comedy stuff was overdone. The rip off of Shankar Mahadevan's breathless was executed perfectly though. Especially towards the end, I couldn't get enough of Govinda and Kader Khan's 'chukki pisaenge'.

While I did enjoy feeling so nostalgic, I found some unforgivable flaws. It is unbelievable that while Govinda was pretending to be a husband of Nagma. He never bothered to ask her how her supposedly lover looks like. The makers kept such simplistic thing as secret for the climax purpose. Moreover, when Govinda was dating Urmila in New Zealand, he again never bothered to ask her about her family background, just to bring some unnecessary complexities in their relationship during the interval. Since this concerns to the primary storyline, such gaps are not easily forgivable.

As a kid, I wasn't aware of foreign locations and blindly believed that as they were in New Zealand, the songs were also shot there. However, now we look at those music videos, the Swiss flags, the city names or the bank names are clearly visible in the background. Na Heera and Moti song almost kept showing the Swiss flags throughout the music videos either intentionally or unintentionally.

I don't know if there was any controversy with Johnny Lever on the set of this movie, I felt he was needed for the pre-climatic scenes. Govinda accepted the chariot race challenge when he was still present. Suddenly, he was never there for the rest of the movie. I felt he should've been there at least for the chariot race scene.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie to anyone. However, those who love to watch Govinda doing some funny scenes would at least find something entertaining about this movie.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (2020– )

For Inuyasha fans of course

[6/10 · 26 March 2022]

The storyline felt bit simplistic since much of it revolved only around parent-daughter relationship. That wasn't the problem though. What kept me from giving this show high ratings was the pace. Around 70% of the first season was filler. Season 2 however was much more interesting and enjoyable. Of course, not at the same level as the original Inuyasha series but that's quite understandable.

I would say this is a must-watch for the Inuyasha fans. However, you will have to keep waiting for the screentime of your favorite characters.

The very first opening song New Era from Sixtones used to be at the top of my playlist around a year ago.

Attack on Titan (2013–2023)

The ending is genuinely bad

[7/10 · 20 March 2022]

I didn't become a fan immediately during the initial years of this series. Humans fighting mindless giants initially felt typical to me and so I avoided it. What really got me into it were the series of plot twists making me realise the concept of this series is more deeper.

As you read in the subject line, yes, I am not a huge fan of the ending. As now it is clear that the anime is going to take much longer to end, I can't wait anymore and read the rest of the chapters to write this review.

You have all the reasons to like this series, whether you talk about the animation, the execution or the soundtrack. In each of these departments, the anime manages to create a magic. Even the storyline is admittedly thought-provoking. Coming back to the point, I feel that ending is just not good from many perspectives. As I mentioned before, the series of plot twists made me a fan of this series but it doesn't go down well to realise that what I thought of the main character Eren's adventure, his journey through series of revelations, were not actually that. It was just his natural reaction to his memory loss. Meaning the emotions we felt during various scenes were pointless after the last chapters as those events were all 'manipulated' by Eren himself. Forget those manipulated events, Eren even correctly predicts that 80% of the humanity will die. No give or take in that. It would be 80%, not 80.1 or 79.99.

There are certain gaps in the storyline too. As it was revealed that it was Eren who forced Grisha to kill Reiss family and Grisha too unwillingly did that. He was clearly disturbed and was scared of Eren's intentions and despite that Grisha himself was the one who later passed his attack titan powers to Eren. If that was his intentions why did he plead Zeke to stop Eren? This shows how messy the time travel or the consciousness travel thing was.

Even the primary storyline mostly includes only the Ymir Fritz's past. It has no direct connection to the Eren's story. We are just supposed to 'believe ' that Eren is the 'main character'. The conclusion too was mostly awful. It took 2000 years for Ymir to witness a 'kiss' of the twisted lovers, something that supposedly freed her. Nevertheless, it was quite interesting that how even after killing 80% of the humanity, the Paradis island were only fighting the losing battle and never really had any advantage. More like the Nazis successfully invading the Soviets during the initial years but met with severe consequences or the Japanese conquering almost the entire far eastern countries but had to suffer from the atomic bombs. If only the genocide condition looked more desperate though like how under the severe circumstances, Itachi had to massacre the Uchiha clan. Eren really gave no thoughts to dialogues to resolve conflicts, a kind of a naive writing which Naruto doesn't have.

Overall, a great series, will make you think a lot and was 10/10 till the end of season 4 part 1 but went downhill as the season 4 part 2 started. Overall 6.5/10.

Aho Girl (2017)

Unfunny

[1/10 · 20 September 2021]

We men could be so vengeful at times. But with the existence of this anime, it is now easy to complete a revenge. All that you have to do is recommend this anime. They don't necessarily have to watch it. In case they do, that would be an outright mental torture.

The anime ain't funny at all. Yet, it really takes something to get rated as 1, right?

If you are curious why I have rated it as 1, then watch this anime.

Grand Blue Dreaming (2018)

Surviving on comedy

[8/10 · 20 September 2021]

So firstly, the main character Iori joins the scuba diving club as a freshman in the university. Yes, the anime indeed is about his diving experience but then again, just that wouldn't be enough. A random guy like me may not find it appealing if there were serious lessons or drama all the time. And probably that's the reason why too much of surreal humour is inserted in this series. Since the theme is related to diving, the mangaka seems to have taken the opportunity to showcase the exaggerated version of Japanese people's comfort while being naked. It gets to the point that the characters comically start feeling less comfortable when they are rather well dressed.

For the first few episodes, I would burst out laughing whenever there was any misunderstanding among the characters. Especially the comedy scenes that involved Chisa were so damn funny. Quite predictably, the series gets to the point that the humor starts feeling repetitive and we see an overdose in the fan service. I continued to enjoy this show and never felt bored but somewhere in between it felt like a guilty pleasure.

I got the feeling that yaoi fans may really enjoy this show since there are lots of such references. I myself do ship Iori and Kohei. AOT fans too should be recommended to watch this show as almost in each episode the characters would make titan faces whenever they are angry or serious.

Gravitation (1999–2001)

"If only that was the punchline"

[5/10 · 20 September 2021]

Everything about this series is so exaggerated. Whether we talk about Shindo starts arguing over silly things so much that it literally turns him into a cat or a dog or eventually even makes him dumb, being unable to speak anything or how fast he starts running after the break up, leaving behind even the full speed train or the manager using Guns, rifles or grenades during the rehearsal. I know I shouldn't be surprised with that as there are many anime with such ultra exaggerated stuffs. It should however be noted that in recent Shounen ai anime, we no longer see the uke main character casually wearing crops and shorts (and that too even during the stage performance).

Yuki's backstory has been hyped since the earliest episodes. We just keep waiting for that but that intense moment almost never comes. When everything is so exaggerated, Yuki's backstory was done very subtly. Even the ending feels incomplete to certain extent.

This is probably one of the worst anime I have watched .

. .

. .

If only that was the punchline.

The best thing about this anime is its humour. Though silly at times, you quickly get used to it and it keeps you entertained.

I was expecting some great songs since it's a musical anime but I like OVA songs more than the ones featured in the series. The animation definitely is outdated but the series animation turns out to be many times better than the OVA's.

It's better not to talk about the characterisation here because in so many aspects the anime feels incomplete or as if it is missing few things. Most of the characters or their circumstances too felt unresolved.

Shakunetsu Kabaddi (2021– )

Stands out

[9/10 · 20 September 2021]

Ok, just like in many other sport anime, we do see some unrealistic strategies or stuffs in this one as well and many might see Burning Kabaddi as a typical sport anime but there are few reasons why this anime stands out for me :

• In the past, there were main characters in the sport anime that had lost interest in the sport just like Yoigoshi does but they resume with the same sport. Yoigoshi on the other hand is introduced with a sport which is very different and unorthodox for him. That rather happened in a comical manner. The vice captain of the team baits him to join the team. I have even seen the main characters turning back to their original sport despite the permanent injury but Yoigoshi doesn't only stick to his second sport, kabaddi, and not only do we see him being extremely passionate about it, he effectively uses his past experience of soccer to bring discipline and strategies to the current scenario of the game. This was something very fresh to me and has been executed cleverly in the anime.

• Another reason is despite the fact the characters keep explaining rules after every while(as this is a new sport for many), the pace is somehow not affected even a bit. And despite being a seasonal 12-episode anime, it doesn't feel much rushed either.

• Moreover, the anime is made on relatively less popular sport(quite obviously, Kabaddi is mainstream only in India). In some other soccer or basketball related sport anime or the sports in which Japan is doing well, I have witnessed some larger-than-life scenes, some big dreams, something which we would obviously miss in this anime. Yes, the characters are indeed serious and passionate about this sport but unlike other anime, we don't see any particular dream that involves Japan or a national team, the characters are burning with passion but at the same time, they are aware that they are still playing at the lower level.

• Despite this being a short season, all the major characters have been given their dues. There are no wasted potentials. And not only that, many a times, we don't just see characters' motives revolving only around the sport but simultaneously we also see them contemplating on their lives' purpose as well. Just like any of us, many characters go through some emotional burden at least at some point and that emotional burden may not necessarily revolve around or only around Kabaddi.

There are many more things to look forward to in the upcoming season(I really hope it gets many more seasons as this series in general looks very promising) but despite that I can say that I could totally cherish whatever was shown in this first season.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Does not disappoint

[8/10 · 20 September 2021]

I decided to watch this movie after noticing how similar the poster looks to some of the clips of LaMb, which came out in 2008, 13 years after this movie. Even though I had a mixed feeling for LaMb after watching it but the hype I felt back then was real.

The best thing about the 80s or 90s futuristic anime is that the efforts put in art and animation are clearly visible. The animation of Ghost in the shell is on par with even some of the recent anime. That only adds to the enjoyment.

As expected the first 15 minutes of the movie were bit dull but the fun starts soon after. The kind of action scenes or chasings or the backgrounds we witness really suits to this theme and genre. However, I feel that in this 1.3 hours of movies, lot of time was taken to show the discussion on individualism and there was only a little focus on the storyline. As a result, it ended up looking incoherent.

If I talk about the OST, it is scary and cool at the same time but somehow lacked the impact it should have.

If you don't mind watching old stuffs, I wouldn't mind recommending this. It is a watchable movie.

Inuyashiki (2017)

Too many shortcomings, but....

[7/10 · 20 September 2021]

For 11 episodes, it's a good watch. I wasn't bored even for a while. A main character being 58 years old is a good change of pace. Sure, the plot progression wasn't something deeply thought. Shion and her grandma showing overly acceptance for Shishigami itself wasn't convincing enough. Yet the anime is rather enjoyable. Animation looked perfect just as expected from Mappa.

The opening song was catchy too. However, I wouldn't rate it highly in terms of Sound. The Seiyuu never really had much opportunity as the anime doesn't really have any strong or impactful quotes. They were quite simple. Moreover, I felt absolutely nothing even during the emotional scenes. Most of the time, the characters would only scream. What makes it worse that the anime doesn't have any catchy OST either.

ReLIFE (2016–2018)

Many of us desire for the second chance

[7/10 · 20 September 2021]

27-year-old Arati Kaizaki has been unemployed for quite a while now, only works part time in a convenience store. One day, he was approached by Ryo Yoake, who has an offer for Kaizaki. Kaizaki has been chosen as a test subject for Relife - a scientific experiment to make him 10 years younger, giving him a chance to attend High School and to fix whatever is currently wrong with his life. He became friends with many teenagers including Hishiro, Oga, Rena, Onoya, Tamarai. However, once his Relife is over, his temporary schoolmates will have no memory of him.

If you take out unrealistic stuffs from this anime, it feels quiet relatable. This is recommended to the grown-ups as almost each of them has either gone through this or has a friend whose career went for a toss due to world-weariness. Even the highschool drama or the romance part has been brilliantly executed. However, I am not a fan of the last episode plot twist and the rest of the 4 episodes of the OVA were created only for the happier ending purpose. I also didn't like how the highschool characters were sidelined in the OVA even though there clearly was a setup. It would've been interesting to see what impact Oga's brother would have to the sub-plot.

Apart from that, the animation is fine. I haven't tried the full version of the soundtracks yet but at least the shorter versions weren't bad to hear. The Seiyuu were clearly up for the challenge. Switching between 17 year old and the 27 year old after every while was never an issue for them.

Its 7/10 for me.

Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

Oshiete Oshiete

[7/10 · 20 September 2021]

The story follows Kaneki Ken, who had a deadly encounter with Rize. She, being a ghoul, attacked Kaneki to consume his human flesh. Ghouls are the creatures that look like normal people but can only survive by eating human flesh. After recovering, Kaneki discovers that he underwent a surgery that transformed him into a half-ghoul. This was accomplished because some of Rize's organs were transferred into his body, and now, like normal ghouls, he must consume human flesh to survive.

The concept always sounds unique and exciting to me and the season 1 was almost at the masterpiece level. But it was always going to be a challenge to continue with this concept for so long. I don't think it could offer much scope to continue and develop it into a long saga. Eventually, after the season 1 the writing took the beating. The storyline could be called above average at best. I did not even know how to react to the twists like Kaneki joining Aogiri or he later becoming Haise Sasaki, joining the ghoul investigators. Somehow those things weren't convincing enough.

Tokyo Ghoul, however, does extremely well in terms of characterization. Most of the characters were written extremely well and almost all of them were developed in a proper way. Despite the complex theme, the characters were very human-like and were easy to understand. Even if we talk about Kaneki, he has got a different personality for every single arc. And the way his various personalities converse with each other, every changes that occur to him feel convincing.

The action scenes are intriguing and manage to make or keep you curious. At times, there are more than couple of action scenes going on at the same time but they are usually executed well. The animation feels satisfying as well.

It wouldn't be wrong if I say the anime is best known for its song 'Unravel.' I am certain that even those who don't follow Tokyo Ghoul must be familiar to this song. Even though most of us like other songs more but when it comes to popularity, Unravel must be an anime song of the decade. Having said that, this isn't the only good song this anime has. Other openings and endings are enjoyable too.

The characters, animation, action scenes and most importantly the soundtrack make it more than just a watchable anime.

The Prince of Tennis (2001–2005)

Nostalgia

[20 September 2021]

There used to be a time when I was so much into the sports anime. I took time to realise that all the sports anime are more or less the same. This one is not too different either. Quite predictably, the main character, Ryoma Echizen is a transfer from America. Throughout the anime, we get to watch his experiences while playing for his School team Seigaku. However, I have to admit that Ryoma was a different type of a main character. He wasn't goofy at all. A 14-year-old prodigy, playing with the Highschoolers, he was quite mature for someone of his age. The way he handles the challenging situations is extremely adult-like. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that he is a complete 'hero.' There are also those(probably Fuji Shusuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu), who get better of him. I would like to assume that Tezuka was shown as an obstacle, something that he wishes to overcome. The anime ends in a same way as other sports anime. Ryoma flying back to foreign land to continue with his sports journey.

The other characters are typical. There is one strict leader(Tezuka), a cool genius, a megane guy with some weird habits, a tragic guy facing some quite a situation, a short tempered guy, the characters who are the golden pair when it comes to doubles. I feel they do get their dues and almost each of them are developed pretty well. The animation is outdated but it used to look cool back then. The songs are skippable.

To conclude, it's an enjoyable anime. Tennis being an individual sport looks like a very intense battle in anime version.

Weathering with You (2019)

Deja vu

[9/10 · 20 September 2021]

In Tokyo, young high school student Hodaka Morishima attempts to find work and a place to live after running away from home. Soon, he meets Hina, who has an ability to control the weather. Taking the advantage, they both started doing business on this and continued until they realise that Hina's ability comes with a heavy price.

Firstly, I feel like saying that the theme and the storyline are 'not' similar to 'Kimi No wa.' But the way the story progresses or the pattern you see will surely remind you of Kimi no Nawa and might make you feel Deja vu. In Kimi no Nawa, the main characters were separated by time, while in this one, they are separated due to weather. The ending was very satisfying and was brilliantly executed. The song Grand Escape was used at a very right moment. It manages to touch us or make us feel for the characters.

The animation, the visualization and the soundtrack are even better than Kimi no Nawa. That may be because Tenki no ko is a more recent one. But if you have watched Kimi No Nawa, then you shouldn't miss this one.

Steins;Gate (2011–2015)

Tuturu

[9/10 · 20 September 2021]

Okabe Rintaro, a self-proclaimed mad scientist, runs the "Future Gadget Laboratory" in an apartment together with his friends Mayuri Shiina and Itaru "Daru" Hashida. They are soon joined by Makise Kurisu, who with the help of her own theories, manages to create a time travel machine. This event brings the series of incidents in their lives.

The anime is perfect in many aspects. There might be things in few of the initial episodes which you may find difficult to understand but as the story progresses, it all does start making sense. The pacing is terrible. There is a bit of waiting game as some of the things we saw in the very first scene are then resolved or talked about in the very last scene. The show has some nice humorous scenes though and despite the pacing issue, the plot does manage to keep your eyes glued.

The characters are typical. Okabe is a typical deredere, Makise Kurisu is a typical Tsundere, Daru is a typical Otaku, Mayuri has an extreme child-like innocence. I believe out of many characters, Mayuri has got the best catchphrase, Tuturu. Despite their personalities, the characters are developed excellently and they all fit extremely well in the storyline. Same can be said about the supporting characters. Suzuha is the most serious one and more or less directly involved with the main storyline. Urushibara Ruka(beware, it's a trap) and Faris(a cat-girl in the maid cafe) are mostly for the comic relief but their characters do have some significance in the story. A character called Ferdinand Braun was a surprise package. Lastly, my favorite one, Kiryuu Moeka. With such broken personality and unable to hold the face-to-face conversations(she communicates through texts even when she is in the same room), I always longed for her screentime, wanting to see more and more of her. The show doesn't disappoint at all. Her character turns out to be exactly what it is supposed to be. Now you may be looking for the word 'Loli'. Well, wait till the sequel for that.

Steins gate OSTs are nothing less than amazing. The brilliance of the Seiyuu was also very much noticeable during the comedy scenes. Anyway, my suggestion is not to drop this anime just after few episodes. Have patience, it does eventually reach at the masterpiece level.

El Psy Congroo!

Your Lie in April (2014–2015)

Beautiful

[9/10 · 20 September 2021]

The anime does a good job in building up the romance between the main characters but the ending has been done in a typical classic way. Despite this, the narration has been so beautifully done that you could literally feel what the characters are going through. The narration is the proof of this show's creativity. That's why I believe it deserves the kind of a popularity it has. You would find hell number of people saying the anime is 'sad.' They may be right in their own way but to me, sad is a very strong word. The characters do manage to resolve things in a proper way and despite its ending, the main character Kosei Arima is as positive as ever. He successfully manages to overcome his struggles. Almost all characters in the anime, whether its Kaori, Kousei's other friends or classmates, his mentors or his rival pianists have their own significance. It is difficult to hate any of them. You would also probably like the opening and the ending song. The animation too gives the feeling of warmth and looks pleasing.

Overall, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is a must watch anime. No matter how many anime you are planning to watch, this one cannot be delayed.

Samurai Champloo (2004–2005)

Gear up for the Japanese hiphop

[9/10 · 20 September 2021]

The anime has the setting of the Edo time period of Japan and it is surprising how perfectly the Hip hop music matches with this kind of a setting. Not only the opening song, Battlecry gives you the elegant vibes, the other songs like Small Circle of Friends and San Francisco are just as catchy. Even the non-hip hop songs like Shiki no Uta, Who's theme and Obokuri-Eeumi in the Okinawan dialect give you the feelings of the 90s nostalgia. The OSTs which are played during the fight scenes or the deep conversations are really well made and perfectly suit to those respective scenes. Nujabes has been widely praised for the Samurai Champloo soundtrack and very rightly so. In terms of quality, this soundtrack is second to none(Okay, maybe second only to Naruto's). This anime has made me appreciate the Japanese Hip hop even though I have never found the conventional Western Hip hop interesting.

Having the setting of Edo Japan, the anime has several historical references. While there is some accuracy in it, most of it is just for fun. The story revolves around Mugen, Jin and Fuu as they journey across Japan trying to find "The samurai who smells of sunflowers." In their journey, they experience all sorts of crazy things, get into trouble and try to make money or find the means to survive as long as they are traveling together. As the show progresses, the mysteries of the characters' pasts are slowly revealed. The anime has a bittersweet ending. Once their motives are all achieved, the three characters go on their separate paths. Yet, it doesn't really intend to make us feel emotional. In an elegant manner and using the Hip hop style, they just ask us to carry on whilst playing the song 'San Francisco.'

The characters are so damn interesting. I was shocked to see the character of Mugen. It was nothing like any other main character. As a self-taught and ruthless swordsman, he just doesn't know how to hold back. Not only is he arrogant but always looks to pick up meaningless fights and wouldn't mind brutally injuring or killing others. His past is beautifully explored though. You would understand from where he got such beasty personality. Jin has noted that it is surprising how a reckless and impulsive man like him is still alive. Despite traveling together and having minimum hatred for each other, Mugen and Jin wish to kill each other someday. Despite Jin being just as cold on a contrary, he is much wiser and calculating samurai. Rarely losing his stoic exterior, he doesn't bother sharing his past, his motives, his mysteries or even his basic feelings with Mugen and Fuu. He does however manage to fall in love with a woman, who taught him how to cook Eel. Fuu, despite being cheerful and a foody woman, too has her own motives. In fact, the main storyline of this show entirely depends on what she is upto or on the factors responsible for her actions or decisions. Fuu seems to be much more sensible than Mugen and Jin, something that allows her to trick even such cold men and make them work for her.

Few episodes are only for the references sake. So don't be shocked when you see the main characters apparently dying just for them to appear well and alive in the very next episode as if nothing was happened to them. I am pretty sure most of the people won't take it positively. Nevertheless, the things that matter the most are fabulously done. For instance, the scene in which we see Mugen drowning and we get to see the glimpses of his past life. Not only was the scene emotional, nicely animated and perfectly executed, but the song Obokuri-Eeumi makes it look even more beautiful and deep. The action scenes are brilliantly choreographed as well. Some of those managing to trigger the characters' philosophies or deep thoughts really make the show look more interesting.

The elegance of Samurai Champloo has managed to amaze me and even the ending was done in such a way that the completion of the anime feels totally satisfying. I will praise it endlessly but on the other hand, I will also have no complaints if it doesn't have the season 2.

Burn the Witch (2020)

If only it had a better conclusion

[6/10 · 20 September 2021]

Finally, we see another anime adaptation of a Tite Kubo's manga. We again get to hear some stylish terms like 'imprisoned for 100 years'. Interesingly, the theme felt closer to Harry Potter or Black Clover than to Bleach. But yes, some of the elements would surely remind you of Bleach.

For a spin-off, the storyline looked interesting but the ending didn't feel satisfying. Cinderella and Macy deserved to have more interaction in the end. If only, the main characters, especially Ninny, were shown less pessimist. It ended up looking like a literary work from the Baroque time period. Even the Balgo's sword had no significance at all in the end. Noel's character design reminded me of Orihime's. Nevertheless, her personality was entirely different and felt even more-likeable. Midway, I started expecting some Yuri as well. But well, it never really surfaced.

Overall, it wasn't a bad watch. If only the things were resolved in a more appropriate way. Nevertheless, you can still enjoy it and have a good weekend.

Rec (2006– )

Not bad

[6/10 · 20 September 2021]

A Seinen anime that talks about the relations between Fumihiko Matsumaru, a 26-year-old average salaryman and the 20 year old Aka Onda, an aspiring voice actress. The storyline is just average. It shows the struggles of the two main characters in their respective lives and how they try to overcome them and how this all affects their relationship. It does better in terms of characterization just like many other Seinen anime.

Fumihiko Matsumaru has to deal with his seemingly boring life. Like most of the adults in their 20s, he struggles in his both personal and the professional life. He also easily succumbs to his inner desires as it was evident that he was still very considerate towards the woman who broke his heart. Aka Onda is the complete opposite of this. She is ambitious and is ready to make adjustments for the professional gain. The ending didn't really feel too special as the characters simply patched up after having a brief argument. It was noticeable that Aka was finally more genuine towards Fumihiko and Fumihiko too apparently found some fun element as well.

To be honest, the anime itself is nothing special but it is not entirely unwatchable. You really do feel for the characters and would be able to relate to them. What makes it more acceptable is that it has only 9 episodes, each being 13 minutes long.

Potemayo (2007)

Honi honi

[10/10 · 20 September 2021]

Sunao Moriyama, a male junior high student, finds a tiny, cute creature in his refrigerator. It has a filing of Potato and Mayonnaise. He names her Potamayo and takes her to school with him. In no time, she becomes popular among the students. Initially, she could not say anything but 'honi' and eventually learns to speak more words.

An anime with plenty of funny and cute scenes. You can enjoy this anime anytime, anywhere and no matter how many times you watch. The characters are typical. Like the main character, Sunao is typical deredere and he is supported by many of his classmates but it all fits perfectly well. Nothing really is overly done.

It is recommended. You can also watch the clips anytime whenever you are bored.