rampant thoughts

MAIDENS OF THE SAVAGE SEASON — A childhood tale depicting unspoken ideologies coupled with a fresh outlook on relationships, this unique anime focuses on capturing what our innocent, youthful selves are like, painting a vibrant picture using just five characters with vastly different personalities.

It’s first episode, to say, was extremely promising. I found the idea of teens venturing creative literature and stumbling upon sexual references immensely entertaining and rather unique — for an idea set in a typical high school atmosphere — the individual story of these girls losing and exploring their own thoughts felt embarrassing to themselves and it was something that this show was good at expressing.

Realistically speaking, it’s not only hard for an anime to execute an idea almost entirely reliant on sex as the main topic, but Maidens of the savage season does it well — exploring on the idea without touching on any of the characters behaving sexually and all. I mean, as it is, Maidens of the savage season does a great job at portraying sex in a non-sexualising way — without cutting any corners. Because, if you’re here for what I think you’re here for, Kuzu no Honkai is a great place for you to take a break and laugh. (Props to anyone who has watched this show.)

Yet, everything went howling and crashing towards the middle of this series, eventually presenting us with a disappointing jumble of nonsense.

The plot was clearly aiming for high heights at the beginning, so much that it felt like the author had practically ran out of ideas by the time she reached the end of the sixth episode. It’s almost as if she’s set up Kazusa and Sonozaki for plain show; I mean their stories one of the better ones, being not entirely reliant on melodrama. But once you add some curry into this sweet mix, I had no idea what in the world the author was trying to say. By the time we reached the point of the other characters, we had too much themes in that it was really confusing and annoying — it was an utter waste of an extremely good concept, fleshed out in such a horrible way that it destroyed the entire watch.

But all that isn’t the main problem. My point is, it wouldn’t even be a huge problem if it starting gearing towards the section on melodrama at the beginning. The real issue was that, why should it try to ruin the lighthearted romance we saw at the start and butcher it into some sob story? It’s kind of ironic — with the setting and mood they evidently conveyed at the beginning, it’s now trying so hard to be taken seriously — and this doesn’t sit well with me. See, Maidens of the savage season is a textbook example of why you should plan out your writing before you revamp your entire theme. It’s weird how that this show’s so unbearably cliché that it’s gotten kind of funny.

Now, let’s be completely honest here. Though Kazusa’s arcs were the only thing that were actually keeping things sane, Sonezaki’s parts were one of the more, daringly fun to watch scenes. But of course, they just had to ignore most of our dear favourites and just partially kick her out of the plot as the author was kind enough to favour the more ‘interesting’ characters. I honestly didn’t know what was her main point here. Was there not enough drama for our creator here? Was her plot too empty and dry to our amazing author? That’s what I’d like the think at least, considering what she has done after all.

Yet what I found the most ludicrously comical in this show was Nina. Even before everything went down and her character was still supposedly intact, I’d like to think that she was nothing more than a bedside commentary to stimulate thinking. Then cue to the recollection of her despicable past and we see some actual substance to the character for the first time. And yet again, they used that to justify for all her irrational actions that left me thinking; what was her entire point for doing this? It’s plain blank, after all, Nina’s sole purpose in this show is to bring about chaos and more drama for everyone here. I never understood what she was doing most of the time. Because if, more than anything, basing purely angsty thoughts and hate on their contextless backstories isn’t something a good writer should ever do.

IN CONCLUSION, this show isn’t worth your time. Yes, you may think that it isn’t that bad at the start, but it’s bad execution is extremely hilarious to the point of no return. The author is one that doesn’t know how to handle her story properly; ending in the ultimate waste of something that could’ve been much better. As a result, I didn’t even know what I was watching most of the time and the only reason I continued was due to the fact that this show would be a great humour anime.

ratings =

setting | 3

plot & story | 4

characters | 2

overall | 3.5

i really didn’t know where I was going with this review, but it was extremely long xx

FRUITS BASKET — A fresh, blooming take on the original series, this remake of the old has escalated through the Spring 2019 lists to colour itself at one of the more popular recently completed shows. Despite being released earlier this year, it hasn’t failed to capture the continuous attention of their fans; a feat that many can only hope to achieve.

This film begins animatedly, introducing our main character and showing us the environment she lives in. There, a chance encounter arising from an accident leads to her eventual discovery of a secret spiralling from ancient times. A simple story, shrouded in heavy themes that slowly unfurls its allure.

Fruits basket presents itself charmingly — its an anime that travels across an abundant spectrum of themes, handling each genre well enough and balancing both comedy and drama in a single cour. It not only possesses a well-constructed pace that certainly pulls the reader in, but also one that gradually entangles the characters into an already drawn labyrinth. Not many authors can adequately identify which are the scenes that require a comedic setting, or when they should insert a serious mood into their story, but this anime is one that sets their themes smoothly. So, where was it that Fruits basket fell at?

Mainly a character-driven anime (especially at the beginning), where this show really failed at was at its poor characterisation. Bearing one-dimensional personalities backed with incomprehensible attitudes, many of the characters were transparent, and the fact that they were only driven by their overused personality traits made the experience watching them even worse. Tohru, for example, is supposedly portrayed as a walking inspiration towards many of the background characters, though in actuality, she had little to none substance that it drew absolutely no reaction from the audience when her past is brought up. Many of the others were framed in the same, repetitively generic way that it wasn’t even entertaining to watch them anymore.

But what makes this anime excruciatingly painful to go through is the continuous torment of their characters. It’s more than evident that this show uses the existence of various recurring sob stories to make you pity what they went through — a sad method to cover up for the lousy writing portrayed in this anime. The sheer amount of emotion manipulating tales are enough to make you laugh; before you then realise that the characters possess no actual interesting or redeeming values that make you want to feel sad for them.

Tohru, again, is a great example of the monotonous writing. The more you indulge yourself in the episodes, the more you realise that the background characters are constantly reiterating on the fact that ‘she’s been through so much and she’s still smiling’. Please, if Fruits basket was any well-written, it wouldn’t have to go through so much repeated dialogue to convey the emotions that should have been done without the obvious reminders. It’s tiring. And poorly pointed out. Not to mention, most of the objective-less actions and scenes we so they could practically scream it out to you.

Now, you may think that Fruits basket completely fails at everything it does, but the above points were just merely situated around the actual problem. An anime undeniably fashioned to pull at your heartstrings with the troubling themes that are brought later on, nothing about this show was relatable or even touching. It could’ve been a beautiful story focusing on the burdens that people grew up with. It could’ve been an aching tale of self-ruin and misunderstandings. It could’ve been a realistic fiction depicting struggles and the consequences of their choices.

Except it was none of it. Fruits basket had numerous things that they were going for, but there was so much wasted effort that it eventually destroyed itself. The backstories should’ve been used to support the excellent themes they had — not thrown as plot devices and eaten up by individual characters. The past shouldn’t have been the only things define them, yet it did as it is the only thing I’ll recall when you speak their names.

OVERALL, Fruits basket is one of those shows that felt better as a comedy. The anime by itself does hold some meaning, but it was basically overrun by the obnoxious characters and the way everything was used mere plot devices. It really disappointed me, despite the fact that this film is mainly anchored towards the realistic and heartfelt themes it contained, yet it achieved almost nothing of the sort.

ratings =

setting | 3.5

enjoyment & comedy | 4

characters | 2

overall | 2.5

thanks for taking the time to read through this review xx

GIVEN — A flickering sunset that blankets the shivering self you never really realised was ruptured. A lost home you weren’t looking for. This summer 2019 anime launched itself into a world of both shattered feelings and dreams that went astray.

A suffocating past and a passionless prodigy, these two boys collide on a chance encounter that drove this story forward. This relatable anime starts off relatively simple — with an unfurling take between characters with clashing personalities. Mainly character-driven, it’s an anime with more sincere feelings and drama than any other music film you can find online. Sometimes, I’d go so far to say that I forgot that this is an anime with music as its main genre.

And sometimes, that’s not a bad thing. The characters are those that remind us of our daily lives, and though they’re extremely, well, personality-based and carry no depth whatsoever, I’d like to think that the main point of this heart-warming show is to capture the lucidity of our true, hidden emotions and show us how we really feel, all of our cluttered sorrow and the self-conflicts that occur within our thoughts. The way how Given’s characters isn’t particularly interesting and ordinary really resonates inside us and brings out all of the problems we face, with our love and our friendships as a whole.

Despite the praise of a great emotional drama however, it also bears such slow pacing that ultimately works as a double-edged sword. See, the gradual build-up Given creates is something only it can do with the extremely sluggish progress. It shows an almost day to day life of Uenoyama; his school life, his meetings with Mafuyu, and most importantly, his thoughts and emotions. But the take on these scenes eventually bores the viewer — I mean, let’s be honest here, watching the average person carry out his daily activities is basically a turn-off.

It’s easy for one to drop this show. It’s almost unappealing at the start, and unless you’re an avid watcher of slow-burn dramas, most people aren’t patient enough to handle this almost unmoving film. I’ve seen dozens of others complain about the sluggish pacing and how it’s almost as if nothing happens — and it’s true, depending on how you see it. But what exactly makes it so unappealing? It differs from person to person, although I’d say it’s the characters. This show is more character-driven than most, and the cast is undoubtedly dull. It’s a drag not because of it’s lack of uniqueness, but more on the part that their personalities are realistic. See, this is why it’s a double-edged sword — without the realism of its characters, it could’ve never achieved the heart-wrenching pull on your heartstrings. But with it, Given becomes excruciatingly monotone.

It is not to say that leaves out character development entirely — but it instead takes a different approach to make you grow attached to the characters. Their personalities are simple, those kinds you find easily described by three words. But as an anime that focuses on one’s inner conflict and thoughts, I felt that it’s more of a realistic film that shows us the recovery, growth, and sorrow within each character. It’s also a shounen-ai film, so seeing the questions and backstories as a whole makes you empathise with their thoughts and emotions — no matter which character you relate to — one with insecurities, lost selves or even unrequited love.

The animation as a whole is really inconsistent and was annoyingly bad at times, but still, it should be bearable.

ALL IN ALL, Given is a show where you really need patience. It takes time to fully appreciate the cast members entirely and to get hooked at the plot. Sure, you’re more drawn towards the fast-paced fantasy genre, but do give this a try if you’re looking for slow-burn dramas. Oh, and, don’t expect the music to progress that fast as it concentrates more on the relationships they develop through music.

ratings =

audio & tracks | 6

characters | 8

plot & setting | 8

overall | 7.5

thanks for reading through my extremely long review xx

WEATHERING WITH YOU — Also known as ‘Tenki no Ko’, this new film by Makoto Shinkai has stirred up an overwhelming wave of anticipation not long after the release of its gorgeous trailers. Now, with this eagerly sought-after anime hitting the theatres, the real question is, was it really worth its high reputation?

Tenki no ko boasts stunning animation; exactly what you’d expect from Makoto’s productions. With each scene perfectly developed into a stellar beauty rivalling that of Kimi no na wa’s, they managed to portray a great fantasy with perfect audios and highlights. The voice acting was top-notch, and the soundtracks definitely set the tone for many heartbreaking scenes.

To top it off, we had a unique storyline anchored in modern Tokyo, with constant rain spreading over the horizons and blanketing the cities. I liked how the small, irrelevant scenes slowly connected and formed something much bigger — like a rush from a rollercoaster. On the other hand, I did have to admit that the pacing was rather awfully stuck together.

For one, this movie felt extremely drained. It starts off with a clean, interesting atmosphere — the constant reminders of downpour and interactions told us that — but otherwise, Hodaka was introduced as an extremely uninteresting character. We hear his inner thoughts, but what lacks isn’t his personality itself; rather, it’s the absence of communication that flawed his progress. This eventually builds upon our initial impression of him, showing itself as us deeming the starting ‘boring’. To add fuel to fire, his thoughts were so jumbled that they didn’t even focus on the part where he ran away from home (it was forgotten halfway into the movie), when it was supposed to be something that could really heighten his character appeal if pulled off successfully.

The cut scenes got really annoying at times, shortening the actually important parts and giving too much focus on the ‘fun’, upbeat scenes that didn’t really matter. Now, this is where the show really falls apart. It tried giving too much time for character development when what it actually did was just bring out their personalities as a whole — hardly anyone developed, except for a few side characters, and it was frustrating. There was more character exposition than development — not that I have an issue with that, but I felt like it wasn’t something this movie was aiming for.

The lack of explanations gave rise to numerous issues, plot holes and a rushed last hour. You could see the plot conveniences lying blatantly out in the open, exposing the questions that were never answered, all for the sake for the last, emotionally touching scene that did nothing to satisfy my actual curiosities. In the end, we indulged in self-reflection that led us all to this conclusion.

But what irks me the most is the wasted setting and world-building. You see, Tenki no ko possesses such a compelling — whilst uncompleted — story. Our questions could’ve been answered. Our characters could’ve shown us more about themselves. It could’ve been a heart-wrenching film of exploring the unknown while deepening their bonds; but no, it was reduced to nothing more of a device to set the ‘riveting’ emotions in an attempt to develop a smooth ending. I mean, who needs a beautiful, well-developed cast when you can have everything reduced to being a rushed mess with plot devices everywhere?

At least, now we can look forward to a movie that connects both Kimi no na wa and Tenki no ko in attempt to answer our thirst for knowledge regarding the skies. Ha.

ALL IN ALL, Tenki no ko holds so much potential to be a great anime. Yes, a great anime. I felt that with efficient time and effort, they wouldn’t have to cut off so many important scenes, and the excellent world-building could’ve been put to much better use. It disappointed me greatly despite the numerous reviews I’ve read and the high expectations I set for this ‘redeeming’ film.

ratings =

setting/world building | 9

characters | 3

plot and pacing | 2

overall | 6

thanks for reading xx