Change Your Image
williamxbones
Reviews
Trigun Stampede (2023)
Good adaptation
Season gets better as it goes on, it starts of as an episodic show which is fine to establish the characters but the back half is better as it becomes a cool sci fi epic that ends spectacularly. The characters are pretty good with Vash having is limits tested, Knives being a great villains and Reberto was a good character that's purely for Meryl's growth which wasn't really explored in previous Trigun stories so it was fun to see. I'd say Wolfwood is the only character that's not very good but I'd expect him to be better in the next seasons. I really like the animation, it's unique, the motion is very cartoonish and the character designs seem to have a lot of efforts put into them.
When They See Us (2019)
Tragic
This is the most frustrating series I've watched because it's based on a true story. Seeing the cops and "justice" system trying they're hardest to convict the five kids without ever caring about the truth is rage infusing as it's not fiction, it's not exclusive to two episodes, it happens. The show touches on how this affects the victims by showing the life after prison, how they're left without relationships, opportunities, money or hope. The final episode takes a look at the prison system that's brutal and far from effective while focusing on the story of Korey Wise which is the most heartbreaking amongst all the tragic events presented.
The acting is incredible, Jharrel Jerome rightfully gets praise for his role because he's unbelievable, specifically in the fourth episode, that's some of the best acting I've ever seen. Everybody is great from the impressive performances of the kids and the emotional acting of the adults.
On a technical level the series is also amazing, the sound makes an atmosphere that's really rough, the visuals are brilliant with the cold color palette representing the themes and the use of dead space emphasizing the loneliness of the characters.
Vinland Saga (2019)
Masterful exploration of the themes
Season one has beautiful animation and even better music but the characters are the core of the show. Thorfinn is an interesting protagonist as he takes a path that's not usual in revenge stories, his proximity with his enemy makes for a weird situation and yet the rage that fuels him is believable as the first four episode were an amazing set up and seeing him grow up in this situation is tragic. Askeladd is such a fascinating character, seeing someone this physically strong using his mental abilities to manipulate the situations he goes through his really interesting and he also makes Thorfinn a better character acting by having a backstory that mirrors his. The middle section of the War arc is the only thing I didn't love, Thorkell is a fun character but there's too much time spent on him and it doesn't really become interesting until Prince Canute goes through character development and takes the leads for the plot.
Season two is a masterpiece, every moments is interesting, tragic or comedic, grandiose or subtle, loud or quiet. Thorfinn grows so much as a character that when Askeladd is present on screen with him, it's uncanny, like these two characters do not belong together in any situation. Einar is a strong support characters, he brings a lot of energy while highlighting Thorfinn's growth. Arnheid story is really tragic, she drives the plot and delivers a lot of emotional moments. All of this happens in an environment full of uncertainties since they're slaves and the farm is filled with dangerous characters with even King Canute's story being intertwined with Keitl. The music elevates all the themes of the Slave arc, it's sad and truly makes you feels the grief, despair, hate, regrets and darkness that shaped Thorofinn into the person he is.
Season 1: 8.5/10
Season 2: 9/10.
Fallout (2024)
Amazing mystery
Season one didn't have me convinced in the first few episode when it embraced the western aspects more than the mystery but when you get information about the world, it's really amazing and the reveal doesn't disappoint. The characters in the vault are a great representation of this aspect as they slowly discover how wrong the world is, their stories was intriguing. Lucy is the character for me as we see her change through the season because of the dangerous adventures she goes through, she starts off has an optimistic idiot and ends up broken. Maximus also had an intriguing story because of how unpredictable he is, he's a good person but also a bit of a coward so his actions are fun to see unfold. The Ghoul was interesting but he's really shielded from exposure because his plotline needs to be flashbacks so as essential he is for the mystery, I think he was slightly misused. On the technical level, the show is awesome, the visuals were on point and the soundtrack slaps.
Season 1: 8/10.
One Piece (2023)
A great adaptation
Season one makes it apparent that the people involved in the creation of the series have love for the source material. The crew and villains portrayed very well by the cast, they all have al lot of energy and nail the subtlety of their characters. The production design is pretty much perfect, they bring the beautiful world of One Piece to life with set pieces that are really impressive. The changes to the story makes a lot of sense since the writers understand the manga, mixing the ending of the Baratie arc and the beginning of the Arlong Park arc makes the story more overarching. The involvement of Garp was my favorite part of the season as he adds another layer of plot. The two things I didn't love was that Syrup Village was two episodes and that the tone of One Piece can't really be done in live action, it's close to being great but some of the jokes don't quite work and some of the drama feels a bit silly.
Season 1: 8/10.
The Office (2001)
Not for me
The show is not funny, the delivery of the jokes are slow and insist upon making you cringe which doesn't even work, it's just boring. The jokes are forgettable, there's really not enough to make any episodes worth watching. Some would say that the boring aspects are made boring on purpose for social commentary for the monotony of office work, I would say that it's a terrible idea for a series.
The visuals are really bad, the camera movement isn't dynamic at all, it's never used for visuals gags so there's no reason of having this instead of regular camerawork. The colors consists of gray, light gray and dark gray, it feels very uninspired and really amateur.
The cast of characters isn't great, Gareth is the most interesting as he's the character that is the most unrealistic and brings a lot of life the the show. Dawn is also a good character and the performance is great as her feelings are subtly explored. Tim and David are characters I don't like at all, not only their counterparts in the American version are far more iconic but there's also the fact that Martin Freeman and Ricky Gervais are just playing the same role they play in everything which isn't interesting.
Season 1: 3/10
Season 2: 5/10.
Generation Kill (2008)
A war story
Acclaimed war stories are not for me, they often deal with the themes of war being obviously dumb "and Generation Kill doesn't really take exception. Aside from that, I appreciate that the theme of the leaders being incompetent is explored by showing the damage it lands both on foreign citizen and domestic soldier.
I think it could've been a movie because the characters are not particularly developed and the story is mostly driving to destination which makes the runtime felt.
Seven episodes spent with characters are unlikeable and most of them are one dimensional. The only part of them which is interesting is to know they're destined to make the world worst and the portrayal of the actors who bring a little bit of humanity to their roles.
Ted (2024)
Funnier than the movies!
The series embraces the beauty of teenage comedies by using dumb plotlines and doing their versions of it. The show is a lot funnier than the movies, there's a couple genuine laugh by episodes in large part because of Seth MacFarlane's delivery but also because of the subversive writing.
The main cast of characters is pretty good, the dynamic between John and Ted brings a lot of heart to keep you interested in the actual stories. Blaire is great, she's the normal person of the show and does a lot to carry the side plot. Susan and Matty are really funny, the writing embraces the white trash identity which leads to funny scenes.
The Wire (2002)
America!
Season one of The Wire is quietly brilliant, there's not anything crazy like action sequences, matter of fact, the show mostly skips action scenes unless they're necessary. The show shines with the writing, there's dozens of interesting characters, it makes for a show that can cut to any character and you won't be disappointed. Not only is the Barksdale case really complex and entertaining, there's also the themes of the season that are masterfully explored by showing a lot of similar scenes from both point of view that shows the police department and the drug dealing world aren't so different. It also explores the fact that both sides are destined to fail, the group of cops we follow are what could be considered good cops but they can't do much in a system as corrupt. On the other side, people borned into the world of drugs are destined to fail as the systematic failure are too big to overcome.
Season two continues and expand on the themes of corruption and being destined to fail with the docks having to rely on crime. The season is really thrilling as there is so many factor that can change the direction of the story with the prison story line, the dead girls and McNulty in the first half while in the second half the entire Sobotka family is at risk of either causing a lot of trouble or getting in a tone of trouble as they do, all this while Omar is up to his shenanigans. The case itself is interesting because of the scale, it's an international case with the FBI involved, the Greek are really dangerous, violent and despicable which make them great villains. As the police gets closer and closer to the end, it gets more intense and every episode is better than the previous.
Season three has a lot of great story lines, with the drug empire growing there's a lot of stakes and every problem between Stringer and Avon is evermore important which leads them to there downfall which was really surprising. All of this happens while Marlo is growing as a threat, we barely saw him but he leaves an important impact on the show. Dennis has the best storyline, is a very dark show it's great to have hope in a character that has a good heart and resists to going back in the streets after prison. Bunny's action continue the themes of the system being corrupt, he proves that there's better way to operate but the politicians are cowards who don't care about people.
Season four might be the best media about crime I've watched, with the Barskdale organization out of the picture, Marlo becomes a huge threat that is made evermore dangerous because of his two violents henchmen that ultimately end the story of Bodie who really grew on me. The most important part of the season is the school system, the themes of life being rigged against some people was always present but it's even more heartbreaking now that it's kids at the middle of the story. The role of mentorship in the story is integral as you see that it has direct impact in different ways on Micheal, Naymond and Duke why Marlo, Bunny and Prez being an example for the children. All this is happening while you see politicians playing game with the power and reputation they should use for the people.
Season five is all about the conclusion, with McNulty and Lester going cartoonishly crazy, with the Stanfield case you really feel that the end is near and they can't get out of the trouble they caused, seeing their morals destroyed to get him. The destruction of the drug organization is interesting to watch as it was destined to happen because of Marlo's self destructive attitude. The Sun story line really feel personal and ripped straight out of the writer's experience as it strongly highlights the systemic racism happening in the news room. This season ends the story of Omar and it's truly heartbreaking to see one of the only man with a code end up getting stomped on because of organized crime being so powerful. What's even more heartbreaking is Micheal and Duke being victims of the system and end up having stories that you've seen through the show therefore you know their life will be tragic.
Season 1: 9/10
Season 2: 9/10
Season 3: 9.5/10
Season 4: 10/10
Season 5: 9/10.
Modern Family (2009)
Three families
Modern Family has an amazing cast of characters and they're the main reason why the show works. Having three families to bounce around makes for a show that has a lot of story lines therefore a lot of funny moments. With the characters being different you can see the different perspectives on the problems they face.
The actors are really amazing in they're role with Ty Burrell being the star of the show for me, he's often the one that delivers the laugh. The cast of children are really amazing, they bring a lot of life and it's very rare that children are this good.
Unfortunately, like a lot of sitcoms the show got progressively less funny and inspired. While the first seasons were really strong, you feel that the writers ran out of ideas and couldn't come up with original ideas going back to Jay being a grumpy old man. With the last season it's basically a bunch of mediocre episodes of sprinkles of closure in and there.
Season 1: 8/10
Season 2: 8/10
Season 3: 8/10
Season 4: 8/10
Season 5: 7/10
Season 6: 7/10
Season 7: 6/10
Season 8: 6/10
Season 9: 5/10
Season 10: 5/10
Season 11: 5/10.
Watchmen (2019)
The second half is great
The second half of the show is really good, the origins of Hooded Justice were really interesting, it's was amazing on a technical level and the themes of the story are really important. Episode eight was the best as it was the payoff to all the buildup and seeing Doctor Manhattan and the impact he had on the story made him an awesome character. The finale wrapped up the show in a very satisfying way.
The music is great, the variety of songs is interesting as there are amazing ones for every situation from the spacial presence of Doctor Manhattan and the old, racism filled Oklahoma.
I dislike the writing style, you really feel as you're watching the series that information is being withheld and it really hurts the experience. I didn't have the chance to get invested in the characters because the show is purposely letting you wonder about what could happen without developing the characters.
Also this tries to be both a superhero show and a examination of racism but the superhero aspects are way too silly for the politics to be taken seriously.
Samurai Chanpurû (2004)
Loveable trio
I absolutely love the characters and their dynamics, they fit perfectly as they're all funny and complete each other. Mugen brings a lot of chaos with his temperament and his fighting style is the same, it's really entertaining and fun for action. Jin's calmness is pretty funny alongside of two very energetic character, his mysterious make him intriguing and his backstory was effective. Fuu is the heart of the show, a lot of the emotional weight is carried by her as she show the most emotions and vulnerability, she might be the most normal of the character but she's definitely the most important.
The lofi hip hop soundtrack had a lot of influence on the genre as a whole and it fits very well in the show. It's very relaxing to see our characters wandering the streets on chill beats and the use of scratch sounds are important to the identity of the series.
Of course the episodic nature of the show leads to some episodes not being super remarkable but episodes like "Tempestuous Temperaments", "The Art of Altercation", "Gamblers and Gallantry", "Misguided Miscreants", "Bogus Booty", "Elegy of Entrapment" and "Evanescent Encounters" makes the anime an awesome watch.
Pluto (2023)
Thrilling writing
Pluto is an eight hour thriller and the writing is incredible, it's the first time I watch a story from Naoki Urusawa and his reputation is deserved. The writing style is really gripping as there a lot of plot lines going on, new characters are constantly introduced and everything is important which makes impossible to look away.
It's a story heavy on themes with Atom, Gesicht and Epsilon having to deal with humanity, the lack of humanity and hatred.
The art style is very down to earth which fits perfectly for the tone of the show, it doesn't distract and it lets the story shine.
The music is awesome, there's some composition that really elevates the sad moments and there's some that make scenes terrifying.
Blue Lock (2022)
Tropes and giggles
Season one is pretty good, it's an show made for anime fans as there's a lot of tropes used but the characters are pretty interesting. The Introduction Arc doesn't waste time, it shows from the very start that this won't be a normal sport anime and that the unique characters will have to think in selfish ways about the sport. The First Selection Arc is average, it uses a lot of anime tropes which makes it fairly predictable. Fortunately players like Barou, Niko, Mikage and Nagi make the arc interesting. The Second Selection Arc is a lot better, while the games are still fairly predictable, the choice of who to steal from other teams make it really interesting as it's unpredictable and it has considerable character growth. The two last episodes gave us a glimpse into the Third Selection Arc and they left me with hope that the second season will be better.
Season 1: 7/10.
Blue Eye Samurai (2023)
So cool
The animation style is very unique, especially the character design, they're simplistic but the outfits are really cool. The backgrounds are incredible, every wide shot is breathtaking and the use of color is so beautiful. The fight scenes are captivating because of how well they're choreographed.
The characters are so amazing, after eight episodes, Mizu is already one of my favorite character in fiction, she's super cool and the exploration of her backstory is so mindblowing that I can't understand how they could add to it in the next seasons. Ringo really funny and his motivation makes him really loveable. Taigen's obsession with Mizu is really interesting and seeing him landing a hand for the fights is a lot of fun. Akemi is really well written, her motivations are complex. And as the show goes on, she becomes more and more unpredictable.
Gen V (2023)
Solid spinoff
Season one is pretty good, it's different from the parent story for better and for worse. Starting with the positives, Marie, Emma, Andre and and Jordan are likeable character that are fun to follow in a story that has a tone of humor. Sam's character arc was pretty impressive in only a season. The two last episodes were really great with Neuman's appearance that quickly raised the stakes and the last episode being really crazy. Unfortunately the first six episodes were a bit forgettable, they definitely were necessary for character development and build up but they were not exactly interesting. While the comedy is still great, the one thing missing from this spinoff is expert writing, in The Boys, seeing incredibly powerful characters engaging in mind games to screw each other is essential while in this, they let Cate operate long after the reveal.
Seasone 1: 7/10.
Smiling Friends (2020)
A few good laughs
The show does exactly what it sets out to do, it's a fun little distraction with a few good laughs that present simplistic stories alongside of two loveable characters in Charlie and Pim.
In the best way possible, the art style is ugly. It helps the comedy that certain character design are absolutely disgusting, it lands some funny moments with the live action guy and satan for example.
The only reason I'm not giving this an higher rating is that although it's worth a watch for a few laugh, there's not a lot that's exceptional, it's just a solid show that has a few amazing moments but nothing more.
Violet Evergarden (2018)
Art.
It's a story about emotions and it makes you go through a lot of them. There's a lot of sad moments with Violet helping people in situations that are really sad. There's also a lot of wholesome moments with Violet growing and going from a miserable emotionless doll to someone with a purpose.
The animation is really beautiful with every single aspect being a source of wonder. I really like that Violet's hands are 3D, it makes them stick out. The character design themself are awesome to express feelings when mixed with the incredible voice acting. The most impressive element of the visuals are the backgrounds, you can pause at every moment of the show to admire the backgrounds and you won't be disappointed as there's so much effort and details put into them.
The music of the show is so perfect, every piece of music the show offers so much emotional weight to sequences that are already designed to get you in your feelings.
Barry (2018)
It's a funny thriller not a comedy
Season one of Barry has really impressive writing, the way it juggles between different story lines is amazing. The hitman life, the acting classes and the international conflict were all equally interesting which is surprising if you haven't seen the show. Mirroring how the plotlines are handled, the characters are also all great, from the supporting characters of the acting classes to the crime world and most of all Barry, the loveable, morally corrupt, fun guy.
Season two is just as great, the story line given to Fuches is hilarious and it leads to an incredible action packed episode in "ronny/lilly" and then it takes a crazy turn. There's also a very a different story line with Sally who has to deal with her ex abuser and has to deal with misogyny in the industry, her story is heartbreaking. The different storylines highlight how great the writing is, it can deal with serious systemic problems just as much as a sassy crime boss.
Season three didn't start off to the standard that was previously set but it got just as great as it went on. The problem was that everything was going right, Sally had a perfect life, Barry was happy and the crime world was quiet. As it went on everything started to crumble which makes for amazing TV with the incredible writing of the show, it reached peak that were something else.
Season four is split in two half and they're both great. The first half was great when it comes to the story line in prison but unfortunately everything else was forgettable. After the time skip, it's an absolutely thrilling story where anything could happen and the character are miserable which makes for an amazing watch because of the brilliant writing the show offers.
Season 1: 8.5/10
Season 2: 8.5/10
Season 3: 8.5/10
Season 4: 8.5/10.
Mindhunter (2017)
Fincher is pretty great at detective stories
Season one is an amazing collection of mysteries and thrilling writing. The three leads are so well written, their adventure is enough to be interested and the show decides to take a lot of time to focus on the dynamics of their relationship by showing their personal lives therefore making the audience care. Every moment the show spends of investigations is great, if Bill and Holden are in the wild solving cases, you're entertained and if they're interviewing serial killers and analyzing with Wendy, it's fascinating. The acting of the show is top tier, especially when it comes to the criminals, you can analyze the performances yourself which is amazing. The visuals are awesome, the production design seems really high and everything looks polished.
Season two takes a different approach on how to tell the story, instead of telling a few good stories, it tells two amazing stories. There's the character development, Wendy is given a lot of screentime outside of work and Bill's rough family life is really interesting with the situation he's put in. On the other side of the show, there's the Atlanta case that's so captivating due to the scale of the case and because we're shown the families of the victims. The Atlanta case also shows the incompetence of the police department who makes the investigation really hard and leads to a bittersweet ending.
Season 1: 8.5/10
Season 2: 8.5/10.
Fanny och Alexander (1983)
Childhood epic
The acting brought to life interesting characters as the acting was great all around. It's interesting to see Fanny and Alexander going through a tough time with the Bishop being an absolutely despicable character despite Emilie trying her best to limit his damage.
Watching this knowing that there's a version that's two hours shorter is intriguing. Trying to figure out what was the hours cut is difficult since every minute contribute to the series. Although the two first episodes didn't captivate me, it had great development and when it comes to the three last, I really don't know what was cut.
The visuals are awesome with a rich color palette and incredible production design that puts every other film to shame. The camera movement is also great, it moves slowly and it lets you appreciate the beautiful imagery.
Death Note: Desu nôto (2006)
Brilliant writing
Death Note is an anime that shines because of its amazing writing, it's very entertaining seeing Light and L going at each other and coming close at multiple times of ending each other. The multiples antoganist they go against are mostly incredible and it's really intense to see the characters methodically engaging in mental battle. Speaking of mental battle, L and Light are incredibly intelligent characters but the writing is so great that you can understand at any thought they have how they arrived to their conclusions.
The supporting characters are just as interesting as they are regular people put in a crazy situation, they could've been uninteresting but seeing the impact of Kira on them make the stakes higher. There is also Misa who's the funniest character of the show and she's amazing for the plot. Ryuk and Rem are very unique characters who also contributes a lot to the plot and they are very likeable.
The soundtrack of the show is really awesome, it's thrilling when the plot needs it to be and there's a lot of music that's so iconic that you've heard it before watching the show.
Unfortunately, the last twelve episodes are not up to par with what comes before. While seeing the squad fall apart is great, the show is past the climax and just doesn't capture the same intensity. Near is a decent character but the rest of the new characters are just not as interesting as up to the last two episodes, everything feels rushed.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Build up and pay off
To me it's a small detail that single handedly drags down the show, personally I didn't understand what was going on until the seventh episode. With that said, I still enjoyed it enough as the characters and the mystery of the location were enough to make a good show and then the last three episodes were really good. It's also in retrospective that the show as a lot of value since it play a lot with the themes of memories and plays with the timeline of the show.
The acting is terrific, there's a lot of characters that you want to know and the actors do a great job to be reserved yet be captivating. I'm impressed with all the actors especially the two child actors who are really unsettling.
I think that Mike Flanagan improves on his cinematic yet horrific visuals style with this project, it looks incredible with the set pieces being all amazing. The camera movement serves the purpose of showing the beautiful visuals but also build a lot of tension. The color palette fit so well the atmosphere, it enhance the mystery surrounding Bly because of how it makes you wonder and admire at the same time.
Jigokuraku (2023)
Good but surface level
Season one of Hell's Paradise offers an interesting universe, from the first episode you see that the world of the show is dangerous and violent. Seeing characters navigates through a world that could kill them at any given moment is really entertaining.
Another aspect that's amazing is that the characters are just as dangerous as what is awaiting them, they're really cool with Gabimaru being a protagonist that's really fun to follow, Sagiri being surprisingly well written and the rest of the cast that peaks your interest just by being weird and powerful.
It's very well animated with the character design being a big contributor to the coolness the show bring. The colors of the beautiful locations are way better than the show needed.
The only problem is that the show is really surface level, the characters are given an objective and mostly walk around, the plots accelerate when the villains are introduced but it really feels like there is more the be explored.
Season 1: 7.5/10.
One Piece: Wan pîsu (1999)
I like every arc
The East Blue saga is a great beginning for the show, it introduces the characters and the world very well while having solid action. I really like that there's an entire arc for every recruits as it gives us time to get to know them. The worldbulding is amazing as we understand perfectly the rules and cultures of the world, the art style helps to set the world apart from other animes as it's very unique. The Romance Dawn arc is a start that makes you want to see more and instantly like Luffy while also making Zoro a legend. The Orange Town arc makes Nami an nuanced character that's very intriguing and make Buggy the Clown a good villain to drive the plot and bring some humor. The Syrup Village arc is very well made in the way it shows the people of this world and how innocents can be affected by the pirates, the villain could've been better. The Baratie arc was my least favorite of the saga as it's drawn out for too long, Zoro's fight, Sanji's back story and the crew were interesting but it could've been way shorter. The Arlong Park arc is the first arc that live up to One Piece's reputation. The arc has the first amazing villain with Arlong that's really despicable and intimidating. The arc gives awesome relationships, iconic scenes and a great backstory to Nami that makes the arc have a lot of emotional weight. The Loguetown arc was different from the five others as it's the characters running around the city which is pretty fun although it stays away from the other arcs.
The Arbasta saga is a small step down from East Blue for me, without the wonder of crafting the Straw Hats crew it just doesn't feel as important, at least for the first half, my two favorite arcs were Drum Island because of Chopper and Arbasta because of the scale. The Reverse Moutain arc felt like an obstacle in the plot, it was solid but I don't see why it was made. The Whiskey Peak arc continues to flesh out the crew while having them in a environment that leads to a good plot. The Little Garden arc was really good, the only thing it didn't have is great villains, it had amazing worldbuiding and excellent character moments, especially between Zoro and Sanji. The Drum Island arc introduces one of my favorite character so far in Chopper, his gentle personality and sad backstory make him an amazing character, the arc has also a story that's interesting throughout and has a great political analysis. The characters of the arc are memorable, there were a lot of them that were integral to the plot. The Arbasta arc is thirty-nine episodes which can be scary considering One Piece's pace but I think it's well paced as there's something interesting in most episodes and there's a lot of fights. The arc offers the most threatening villain of the series up to this point in Crocodile and his supporting villains also give good moments. The passion that Vivi has for her home and the political situation is really interesting as it's literally and figuratively a time bomb. Nico Robbin is also a captivating presence.
The Sky Island Saga only has two cannon arcs, it's a fun story that introduces one place that has great worldbuiding and then has amazing action. The Jaya arc is alright, it's pretty much an exposition arc with a simple but effective story, it has good worldbuiding but not a lot more. The Skypiea arc is great in retrospective but while watching it the pacing is a problem, at least in the first half. The first half let you discovers the world of Skypiea which is great but not great enough for more that many episodes. The second half is amazing and saves the arc in my opinion, it's action filled and it benefits from the previous episodes. It's grandiose action that lets you know where every member of the crew is at all times which is really fun to follow. The arc also has the first villain I did not understand how the Straw Hats would defeat in Enel, he might not be as cool as Arlong and Crocodile but he's so powerful that he gives really intense moments and leads the series to very high highs.
The Water 7 saga made me change my opinion on the show, I now understand why people have it as one of the greatest as this saga is either funny of really intense for such a long period of episode. Everywhere online people say the Long Ring Long Land arc is one of the weakest, although I don't strongly disagree, I think it's fine, it takes time to breath after Skypiea and it strengthens the relations of the Straw Hats as they haven't been together a lot previously. On a side note, the arc also introduces Aokiji who seems to be the most threatening villain yet and leaves a strong impression after a short time in the arc. The Water 7 arc is not far from perfect, it's a fun ride for all of its run time as it's very well paced and very eventful. The characters of the arc are all interesting, from the Franky family that are a blast to be around to the villain that are really impressive. It's thematically the most complex arc yet with the relation of the Straw Hats being explored through the eyes of Nico Robin and Usopp who are given amazing stories, we learned more about the most mysterious character in Robin and the show finally made me care for Usopp when it comes to the narrative. The Enies Lobby arc is the best yet, the stakes are enormous with all the lives that are in play and the Buster Call threatening every second. There's a tone of action and the entire run time is captivating, there's always something happening. Like the previous arc, every character is interesting and the villain are extremely powerful therefore very menacing. There's a lot of character development in the arc with Luffy realizing that he has to improves, Robin getting a backstory that's one of the best I've seen and every characters going through a lot. The Post Enies Lobby arc is a necessary breather after the intense arcs before, it concludes some of the plotlines that were yet to be solved while having a lot of funny moments and some update with characters such as Ace and Shanks.
The Thriller Bark saga is the funniest one yet, it embraces the silliness of the show and brings a really fun time. The villains are cartoonishly evil as they're really funny and have no redeemable qualities, their motivations are despicable and the actions they take are even worst. It introduces Brook who's a joy to be around, his energy and interesting story offers a lot to like. With the saga being the shortest one and having only one arc, the thing that holds it back is that it doesn't accomplishes a lot in the first half of the saga. The second half is really good as there's a tone of action, it introduces Kuma therefore really intense story beats and it has a beautiful ending to the arc.
The Summit War saga is the most intense of them all, there's a lot happening and every arc as a lot got on. The Sabody Archipelago arc is very unique, it starts off with very low stakes with the story of Duvall that's really funny but it quickly becomes really intense. It's thematically the strongest as it tackles the themes of slavery and corruption. It also as a lot of lore explanation that's incredibly interesting through the word of Rayleigh who is one of the many great characters introduced in the arc. It has a tone of action that leads to an incredible ending. The Amazon Lily arc was fun and a lot less intense than the previous arc which is necessary to calm the story after what happened. Seeing Luffy run around and crack jokes while learning about Boa Hancock and her people was great. The Impel Down arc has the most action of so far, every episode has action and the stakes are really high so it's really captivating. The new characters are amazing and seeing the old enemies of Luffy at his side is something you couldn't predict. It's one thing to have a lot of action but the Marineford arc is on a whole other level, it has the action and it also has incredible plot with a tone of twist. The arc has a tone of characters you want to see fight as it's the culmination of everything that came before it, that makes every episode a masterpiece of anime. The Post-War arc is very impactful, it's awesome to see the crew again, it's really sad to see Luffy grieve and to explore his relation his brothers.
East Blue Saga: 8.5/10
Arbasta Saga: 8/10
Sky Island Saga: 8/10
Water 7 Saga: 10/10
Thriller Bark Saga: 8.5/10
Summit War Saga: 10/10.