Deadjournal

This is probably the most unusual josei anime I’ve ever seen, no romance, no relationships, but instead, a vocational school, delinquents, and street brawls. That originality really worked for me. It’s not every day you get to see a different side of Japanese society in anime, especially the lives of troublemaker students, street thugs, and even the yakuza, all wrapped up in a josei package.

What I didn't like:

• Cheap animation and simple art style. While the character designs are decent, the overall quality feels very basic.


• Ambiguous ending and short length. These two issues are likely interconnected. It feels like the anime was initially planned for at least two seasons but ended up with just one, leaving the story unfinished. I’ll probably check out the manga soon to get the full picture.


• Unrealistic moments and the over-the-top "coolness" of the protagonist. One of the most ridiculous scenes involves a group of burly, seasoned gangsters backing down after a single angry glare from the protagonist, a fragile-looking young woman with glasses.

Despite these flaws, the show stands out for its unique setting and themes, offering a fresh take on school life by focusing on underperforming hooligans and their world. It’s also entertaining to watch the main character balance her roles as a teacher and heir to a yakuza clan.

Apart from the protagonist, most characters feel somewhat bland and blend into the background. Only three stand

The protagonist: Her dual life and charisma are the backbone of the series.
Kuma (the big guy): He adds some comic relief and heart to the story.
Shin-chan: A classic bishounen with all the usual josei tropes—good looks, respect from the neighborhood gang, “mysterious” vibes, and rich parents.

Honestly, he feels out of place in such a gritty setting, but his inclusion seems obligatory for the genre. Without him, it might not have been “canonical” josei.

All in all, Gokusen is a worthy spiritual successor to Great Teacher Onizuka. While it has its flaws, the unique setting and themes make it a fascinating watch. Fans of school drama with a twist of yakuza flair will find it enjoyable, though the ending may leave them wanting more.

Rating: 7/10.

A great anime with a beautiful storyline and a pleasant art style. While it might look childish, I personally enjoy this kind of drawing style. The plot isn’t the most groundbreaking and does have a few flaws, but I still think it’s excellent, especially compared to what I’ve seen recently. It strikes a harmonious balance between romance, detective, and mystery, which are my favorite genres.

I was also quite shocked to hear Russian in the ending song. At first, I didn’t even recognize my native language in it! And yes, the ending song was fantastic in both the Russian and Japanese versions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epmzDxsS4kc
https://youtu.be/Vd7X-o0MjoE

I finally got around to watching this anime, which I’ve heard about for many years. I can confidently say I wasn’t disappointed, I really enjoyed it, especially the ending. A pleasant bonus was that I watched the remastered version in 720p with a smooth 30fps framerate. That’s pretty decent quality for a 2003 anime.

Speaking of the smoothness, why don’t all anime look this fluid? It doesn’t require drawing more frames, as you can easily boost the fps from 23 to 30 with software. Anyway, for anyone interested in increasing framerate, I recommend using SVP4.

Now, about the visuals. The art style is pretty basic, even for 2003 standards. What saves it are the smooth motion and high resolution. As for the character designs, they didn’t appeal to me at all, especially Brandon after his "necrolyzed" transformation. A towering, three-meter-tall mass of muscle with a disproportionately small head? It just doesn’t look good.

The characters are probably the anime’s strongest aspect. Each one is well-developed, with their own philosophy, worldview, and unique perspective on the events. The one I disliked the most was Big Daddy. How could such a kind-hearted, saintly figure lead a massive criminal organization? That part of the story didn’t fully click for me.

The entire plot feels like it was built solely to set up the final episode, which is the culmination of everything. It’s in that last episode where themes of friendship and betrayal, love and forgiveness, fully come to life. I don’t understand why so many people hate the ending, I personally thought it was the highlight of the entire series.
Final Thoughts

Mika deserves a mention, she’s the one character who suffered the most throughout the story. By the final episode, it was no surprise that she was already showing signs of losing her sanity.

Off-topic: I think I’ll stop writing detailed thoughts on anime I watch. The more anime I watch (and at this point, I’ve seen over 800 titles), the more everything starts feeling formulaic. Writing about it just doesn’t seem as worthwhile anymore. At most, I’ll stick to leaving short comments on MAL.

Final Rating:

While Gungrave has its flaws, it’s an emotionally powerful experience, with its ending being the crown jewel. Highly recommended for those who value character-driven narratives.

I honestly think this is a great anime with clever humor and a unique visual style, but as an average gaijin pleb, I probably miss a lot of the references and nuances happening on screen. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on Japanese culture, but I’m not a complete novice either, and yet I only understood maybe 50–60% of the gags in the show. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to fully enjoy the experience. Even the jokes I did get didn’t feel strong enough to rate the anime higher than a 6/10. If I remember correctly, the previous seasons weren’t as dense with references and were easier to follow. Another issue with the third season is the repetitive structure of the episodes: each one starts with an event that sets up the theme for the jokes, followed by a series of gags based on that theme. It gets pretty monotonous after 3–4 episodes.

A sweet, calm, and pleasant anime, best enjoyed on a rainy day, wrapped in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. The first few episodes nearly put me to sleep, but gradually, I found myself drawn into the world on the other side of the screen.

This anime is both clichéd and original at the same time. The plot is predictable and reminiscent of your typical dime novel, but it avoids most of the common anime clichés. I watched the entire series with ease, found the events on screen believable, and even empathized with the characters (even though, of course, I knew how it would end from the very start). The pacing is calm and slow, with a focus on slice-of-life moments rather than drama. There are no excessive emotions or other typical anime tropes, which is quite refreshing. That said, this is one of those shows that fades from memory almost as soon as you finish it.

I also read the manga and can say that the series stays pretty faithful to the source material.

I've read the original visual novel, but I only decided to watch the adaptation recently. I have to say, I was truly impressed by the visuals in this anime. It’s hard to believe it aired in 2006, the artwork, 3DCG, and special effects rival even some modern TV series.

The main issue with the adaptation is its fast pacing. With only 24 episodes, there’s not enough time to fully develop the plot. As a result, viewers who haven’t read the original visual novel may find themselves confused. On the other hand, this might serve as a great incentive to dive into the VN. For the average viewer unfamiliar with the source material, there will undoubtedly be plenty of unanswered questions by the end. Perhaps this explains why it has a relatively low score on MAL.

That said, it was still a pretty good adaptation overall.

This anime felt pretty mediocre to me, both in terms of story and visuals. Sure, animation quality isn’t as important as the narrative, but here the plot feels even cheaper than the art, it’s riddled with inconsistencies and plot holes that only the least demanding viewer could overlook. There are so many silly moments and logical gaps that I found myself instinctively facepalming more often than not. But considering the target audience, little girls, the creators clearly didn’t bother too much with such “unnecessary” things.

As for the characters, hardly anyone stood out. Maybe Nakago, but even he’s made entirely of clichés. Nuriko was somewhat interesting, but their abrupt shift from hatred (and even an attempt to drown Miaka in a swamp) to unconditional love and friendship with her was jarring and felt completely unearned. It was unnatural and lacked any believable justification.

And then there’s the ending. It’s awful. Not only is it overly drawn-out with way too many convoluted twists, but it’s also entirely predictable from the start. If the series had wrapped up around the midpoint of its final arc, it would have been far better than the agonizing mess we got in the last episode.
Final Score: 6/10

This anime will likely only appeal to fans of retro shows.

That said, Fushigi Yuugi had tremendous potential. The ancient China-inspired setting and the isekai genre are both concepts I really enjoy. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to what it could’ve been. Even so, I don’t regret watching it.

Overall, the performance isn’t even that bad, the animation is solid, especially when compared to To LOVE-Ru, which I watched right before this. But, as always with anime, there’s just too much idiocy packed into the story. It’s impossible to take this seriously, attempting to do so might induce mental nausea.

That said, the plot concept is intriguing: a cold-blooded pickup artist–Japanese high schooler who, almost every episode, “wins over” a new girl. Unfortunately, it comes off clumsy and downright stupid, sometimes intentionally, for comedic effect, and sometimes unintentionally, like in the arc with idol Kanon (that one had me figuratively throwing up rainbows).

As for the characters, the only one I liked was Elsie, a clumsy, adorable airhead. Sadly, she didn’t get her own arc, which is a shame. Here’s hoping she’ll get fully fleshed out in the second season (though I’m not rushing to watch it anytime soon).

Arc Ratings:

• Sports girl arc: 5/10


• Loli-brat arc: 7/10


• Idol arc (the longest, unfortunately): 3/10


• Library girl arc: 8/10

Final Score: 6/10

Also, this is the third or fourth anime in a row I’ve seen where a regular Japanese high schooler gets a girl literally dropped on him from the sky in the very first episode. What’s up with that? Is it some kind of divine message? Or, as they’d say on Russian TV, “Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

I finally powered through all 50+ episodes of Eureka Seven. Fair warning, there will be spoilers, so read at your own risk.

The first half of the series was enjoyable, with a lively pace despite the schizophrenic setting and plot (a hallmark of Bones productions). However, around the halfway point, right after Charles and Ray’s deaths, the show took a sharp turn. It shifted from an adventurous narrative into a run-of-the-mill teen romance wrapped in a completely deranged setting, seemingly cooked up by a screenwriter drowning in a triple dose of sake and self-loathing.

Character personalities abruptly changed, and the level of nonsensical absurdity skyrocketed. Maybe those who watched the series as it aired didn’t notice this as much, but binge-watching made these shifts glaringly obvious, leaving a rather unpleasant impression.

Take Holland, for example. In the first half, he was a selfish, immature jerk who’d beat up Renton, only to suddenly transform into a mature, kind, and caring mentor figure. Or Eureka, initially a classic kuudere with autistic vibes, she suddenly morphed into a generic and unremarkable character.

Anemone was my favorite character, but even she wasn’t spared. By episodes 48 or 49, she inexplicably stopped being the unhinged maniac and Dewey’s lackey she had been all series long. Out of nowhere, she started hating Dewey, fell in love with Dominic, and turned into a friendly "cute girl." At least they didn’t kill her off until the very end. Renton changed as well over the course of the series, but his development was far less abrupt compared to everyone else.

To be fair, you could try to connect these sudden changes to the plot if you really pay attention (for instance, Anemone’s transformation is linked to her stopping the use of certain substances). Still, the execution feels awkward and unnatural, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. Don’t even get me started on how they squandered the individuality of the characters.

As for the ending, it’s pretty standard and predictable, nothing to evoke strong emotions really.

On the bright side, I really enjoyed the OST, even though it’s nothing particularly groundbreaking.

If I were to rate it:

First half: 8/10
Second half: 5/10

Final Score: 6.5/10.

The second season of Sora no Otoshimono turned out to be just as uninspired and dumb as the first. Most episodes are crammed with idiotic fanservice aimed at 13-to-16-year-old teenagers. Some episodes crank the absurdity up to ridiculous levels. That said, there are a few moments where the show tries to insert some meaning or plot, but the story is so poorly developed that you might as well say it’s nonexistent.

Here’s the gist of it: an ordinary Japanese high schooler has a "fall from the sky" moment, literally, as a well-endowed "angeloid" drops onto his head and immediately starts calling him "Master." Then comes a second angeloid, this time a loli. Then a third. Then yet another angeloid, an even younger loli, who initially wants to kill everyone on orders from the Big Bad but ends up "healed" by a good old-fashioned beating and turns into a cute and harmless character. The entire point of the story is to build the protagonist’s harem so they can churn out fanservice scenes. Same old, same old.

Now, let’s talk about the characters:

Tomoki: The protagonist, a perverted little creep who delights in inhaling the scent of women’s bathrooms and panties. Like many classic anime high schoolers, he lives alone in a huge house because his parents are conveniently "away somewhere far."
Sohara: Tomoki’s childhood friend, secretly in love with him. Completely unremarkable.
Ikaros: The main angeloid who calls Tomoki "Master." A stereotypical kuudere, nothing special.
Nymph: The second angeloid, a classic loli tsundere.
Chaos: A loli yandere who wants to kill the protagonist and her fellow "traitor angeloids" but ultimately mellows out.
Mikako: A character so obnoxious you just want to punch her.
Sugata: The sole voice of reason in this entire mess, the only character who doesn’t evoke disgust.
Minos: The main villain who gets barely any screen time.

And that’s pretty much it. This anime might appeal to unpicky fans of "cute girls" and fanservice. Judging by its MAL average rating (7.8/10), there are more than enough of those around.

I’ve known about this anime for a long time and had been wanting to watch it, but I kept putting it off. A few days ago, I finally decided to give it a go. Well, I wish I hadn’t. The first five episodes were fairly enjoyable, and I even considered giving it an 8/10. However, as I kept watching, my internal rating dropped with almost every episode, eventually hitting 5/10 by the end. And that’s a score I reserve for outright trash. Unfortunately, To LOVE-Ru turned out to be exactly that kind of “trash” on par with Cosprayers and other disasters from Studio M.O.E.

The final episode felt like some forgotten OVA from the 90s, a complete shit. But it’s not all bad. The character design is decent, and the protagonist, while being a classic soft-spoken and feminine "nice guy," is surprisingly non-irritating. I also liked Lala, though that’s mostly because I have a soft spot for chaotic, energetic genki characters. Everyone else fades into the background; none of the other characters left any impression. It takes a special kind of talent to create a 26-episode anime where not a single character gets properly developed.

I had high hopes for Mikan, the protagonist’s sister, but she barely appeared in the series, which was disappointing. Overall, it was one letdown after another. That said, I’ll still watch the sequels since the person responsible for this mess, who has apparently never created anything but garbage, wasn’t involved.

This anime had potential, and if a studio like Shaft or KyoAni had taken the reins, it could have turned out to be a solid title. Unfortunately, it ended up in the hands of someone who completely butchered it. Here’s hoping the sequels do better.