Tuesday (1 Show)
Joker Game-How the Spy World Isn't as Great as I Thought.
Synopsis: During WW II, colonel Yuuki of Japan creates the D Agency. The Agency trains soldiers to be spies and master the art of espionage and manipulation.
Positives: The animation is great and smooth. The trivia is fun and interesting and the setting is cool with a cool noir feel.
Negatives: The episodic nature of the story is a bit of boring, and there really isn't an overarching story. Some of the stories can be fun but usually it has been bland.
It be honest I was pretty excited about this show. The "gangster/noir" feel to the show looked cool and the animation is amazing. But man this show as been... bland and unmemorable. All the characters look the same and none of them stick out. But you can say that is the point of being a spy. The fact that you can blend in and not stick out, but in terms of a show I think it is important that you have memorable characters so the viewer can care about something. I also was not expecting the episodic nature of the show. It has paid off in some episodes (The first two and the latest one with the train) but overall it has been very forgettable stories. I do not think the direction of episodic stories with no overarching story is a bad choice but I do not think it is has paid off. I do not remember a single characters name. Episode 3 did not include any of the spies and centered it's focus on some throwaway characters. It is just hard to remember this show.
Grade/Summary: C- (Animation is great, setting is cool, and the spy stories can be fun. But the show is too inconsistent and forgettable characters make the anime too easy to forget... plus what is wrong with this dude's forehead)
Wednesday (2 Shows)
Twin Star Exorcists-A Typical Story about Two Powerful Kids
Synopsis: Rokuro is an exorcist (they are people with the power to fight beast that live in a different dimension) but he does not want to grow up to be a professional one. He then meets Benio who aims to be the strongest exorcist. Later they learn that an oracle prophesize that they will get married and give birth to the strongest exorcist. They must now learn to live and work together.
Positives: I like the cuts when they do a special move when they fight and Benio is a fun character and the oracle was a wacky character too.
Negatives: Nothing is happening and that makes the show boring. Rokuro is a bit of a whinny character and the animation is not the best (but there have been some nice scenes). Benio little pet is annoying and serves no purpose to the story. Action scenes as a whole leave a lot to be desired.
I was not expecting too much from this show but I still was disappointed. I do like the aspect that they aren't the strongest exorcists but that their child would be so that was pretty funny. But the show is just predictable. It is just obvious that Rokuro childhood friend who have a interest in him. It is annoying to hear Rokuro complain and bitch about how he does not want to be an exorcist episode after episode and not really do anything about it only to be interested in it again. And that little white pet that Benio carries around... DAMN HE IS ANNOYING. None of his lines are relevant to the story and all he does is brag. It is pointless having him. Just an unoriginal show overall. Predictable story, characters, and events.
Grade/Summary: D (Some cool animation in parts of the fights but over predictable and unoriginal. There are just better shows out there and there is nothing unique to this one).
Bungou Stray Dogs-The Unusually Comical World of Detectives
Synopsis: Atsushi was an runaway orphan with no where to go. He then meets Dazai who is a man bent on committing suicide successfully. After some events, Dazai then brings him in to the agency where Atsushi meets other detectives that all have special powers to keep the city safe.
Positive: The comedy actually works well with this show for the most part. The interactions between the characters are fun and the animation is crisp and solid. Honestly the best part about the show have to be the characters.
Negatives: The story is starting off slow (but it is a 24 episode series so that is expected so I won't kill it for pace for now). The main problem is the tone of the show. Although the comedy works it is hard to take the show seriously when it wants to be.
I read somewhere that this show was a like Kekkai Sensen in the sense that the main character, that has a special power of his own, gets dragged into a detective agency that is employed with others with powers. And I have to agree. The loose and fun atmosphere that the show gives off is very nice and gives the show a nice sense of humor that is done well. Watching Dazai trying to find different ways to commit suicide is actually pretty funny (mainly because you know he won't actually succeed). And watching all the quirks of the characters and interactions is all fun and great... but there in lies the problem. The comedic tone and nature that the show gives off makes it almost impossible to take any tension seriously. There was a scene where Atsushi believe everyone in the agency will die because of his action but then he runs to the agency only to see the members beat up and get rid of the enemies in a comedic fashion. The comedic tone of the show just makes it hard to take any moment of tension seriously. The latest episode, they discover that there is a bomb that they have to defuse but I can't help but think that the problem will be solve in a stupid way.
Grade/Summary: B (Cool characters and powers, oddly funny and sweet, and interactions between characters are fun and great to see... it is just too hard to take the show seriously when it wants to be so it will be interesting to see how that will affect future story lines and how they are viewed)
Well there are those shows. Feel free to comment and say what you like and I will have Thursday/Friday up some time in the future! Thank you for reading!
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