Rate the last Anime/Manga you finished out of 10

[ahill1]

Oh I see..Thank you for reminding me and moving it.

 

[SSJ2]

[mention]ahill1[/mention] Reminder that anime films go in the anime/manga rate thread.

 

[ahill1]

lulz. keep sending one new post everyday otherwise I might forget it

 

[ahill1]

lulz. keep reminding me everyday otherwise I might forget it.

 

[Kyo]

Upon rewatching it again, there are some good, subtle details in characterisation that make the chemistry amongst the main cast very good and better than that in previous parts.

May I ask what? I mostly remember Avdol being a non-character, and Kakyoin just occasionally filling Jotaro's shoes here and there for variety's sake (only standing out at the end) -- who himself was a boring protagonist. Someone online once counted and found that there were slightly more Jotaro-focused episodes than Polnareff, which I could not believe. Iggy was cool though...from what I vaguely recall.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

May I ask what? I mostly remember Avdol being a non-character, and Kakyoin just occasionally filling Jotaro's shoes here and there for variety's sake (only standing out at the end) -- who himself was a boring protagonist. Someone online once counted and found that there were slightly more Jotaro-focused episodes than Polnareff, which I could not believe. Iggy was cool though...from what I vaguely recall.

Jotaro is actually a lot more interesting and realistic than he seems on the surface level when you take into account his upbringing. His father is very absent from his life and he is a mixed-race child living in 80s Japan, neither of which would benefit his upbringing. The sudden change to his delinquent demeanour from his more boyscout self that's established at the start of the series can therefore be seen as a very realistic way of asserting himself when having so much stacked against him. This includes his attempts at cool one liners, whether or not they hit their mark, which show how much he emulates stars such as Clint Eastwood that he latched onto due to the absence of a fatherly figure throughout most of his life until his journey with Joseph. Along with these, we're shown his more immature teenage side during the Oingo Boingo Arc in which it's revealed he does a dumb cigarette trick that Joseph and Polnareff are well aware of, showing he does like to show off pointless yet entertaining tricks on occasion. By the time of the DIO's World Arc, it's also clear how much he's grown to care for the group as opposed to his more reserved and less concerned nature in the earlier episodes. That said, there's a lot more going on with Jotaro than just being a delinquent Kenshiro caricature. There's also the fan theory he may have Aspergers which may explain some aspects of his reserved nature and the innovative tactics he can pull off, though I won't account for that in defending his characterisation when that's basically just armchair psychoanalysis.

Kakyoin also gets some good characterisation through his actions. Joseph being able to tell immediately that it's the real Kakyoin during the Lovers Arc due to him keeping his uniform on while sunbathing shows how well the group have come to know each other and he often serves the more essential role as the most level-headed member of the Crusaders other than Avdol. There's also random traits to help flesh out his character and interests as well such as his cherry-licking, his sense of humour when it came to Death 13's user and his experience as a gamer. Hierophants Rise Up The insight into his past at the end of his fight with DIO also do more than the typical last-second characterisation as it instead recontextualises a lot of elements to his prior characterisation, showing that meeting other Stand users allowed him to be less detached when it came to genuine connections and able to form a natural friendship with them, particularly Jotaro who has shown to have found a bond with him due to their shared interests such as Sumo as established in the Wheel of Fortune Arc. There's also the underlying element of him letting himself be controlled and fearful of DIO that is brought up many times in the journey and the irony that Kakyoin's Stand gives him a similar ability.

Polnareff is pretty basic in shifting from serious to comedic when the situation calls for it, though some of his comedic antics can be argued to be a coping mechanism for his sister's death and him being the one to survive so much has the bittersweet element of him regretting doing so when it came at the cost of Avdol and Iggy's sacrifices. Avdol is a lot blander than the rest, though still serves well as a mentor to Polnareff to help him develop in the Hanged Man fight as well as a straight man for the comedy in the Bast fight to make his inclusion more essential, not to mention his attempt at being more comedic and "badass" upon his return possibly being his way of trying to fit in better with the group. I agree Avdol was the least well characterised member of the group. Iggy's arc was simplistic but fine and I don't think I need to get into why Joseph is great.

 

[Kyo]

[mention]Captain Cadaver[/mention] Thanks for breaking all that down. At some point I'll read through the Part and keep what you've said in mind.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

One Piece Movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island - 3/10

Will go into detail as to the reasoning in the OP Movie thread when it gets to Movie 6, but despite some good ideas, the execution was poor more so than not. Still probably the most tolerable OP Movie, which is saying a lot. Whether or not I may rate it even lower is pending right now.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Sneewittchen - Geschichten nach Grimm - 5.5/10

An anthology series that adds some interesting takes in rewriting or expanding on certain Grimm fairy tales, being hit or miss with several of them. Not much more to say about it beyond being an okay time-waster.

 

[Kyo]

JJBA Part 4: DiU - 7/10

Pretty good. A much better villain than the previous three parts. I remember being worried after episode 24 that the show would revert to Part 3 style monster-of-the-week leading up to a climactic battle at the very end, but although this kind of happened it was not really the same at all since the villain was much more involved and proactive compared to Part 3's. The setting was also utilized well. As far as issues it has much of the same as any other JoJo's part albeit dialed down. Some of the one-shot episodes I didn't care for (e.g. Cinderella arc despite its necessity in introducing a certain character). A few contrivances (that are typical for this series). Keeping around characters like Hazamada felt gratuitous, but it's not like it was a major aspect. I remember being annoyed at how indulgent the exposition got at times, but I think this is just a JoJo's thing. I don't remember Part 3 well enough though.

The allotment of screentime for each character was a lot better than Part 3's, but it could still use some work I think. Josuke/Koichi are still kind of like the Jotaro/Polnareff to Okuyasu/Rohan/Jotaro's Avdol/Kakyoin. But it was a definite step up.

As for Part 4 vs 2, I'm not really sure. Before episode ~30ish or thereabouts I'd have more confidently said I prefer Part 2. I still think Part 2 contains the best of what initially drew me to this series in the first place, but Part 4 edges it out I guess.

 

[SSJ2]

Gunnm: 7/10

Overall it was a very compelling story. Alita’s growth from the start of the manga to the end was one that featured many highs and extreme lows - and it was interesting to watch how each of them transformed her character. I take issue with the ending of the manga. For one, Alita’s sacrifice was lessened by the fact that she inexplicably survived. That kind of ruined the perfect finish for me. As for Zalem, I found it disappointed how many of its mysteries were info-dropped in the span of one chapter. I felt like it deserved more after all of the intrigue that was built around it. These are my main complaints.

 

[ahill1]

[mention]Supreme[/mention]

There's Alita's last order, kind of a continuation to Alita. CC think it's better than part 1.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Yeah, Last Order's better than the original in all but art. A lot of the complaints you had about later events are fixed or delivered on in Last Order, with the rushed ending of the original being scrapped in favour of a more expansive story.

 

[SSJ2]

Blame! - 3/10

A very strange manga that had very little dialogue. The protagonist had zero development and it was rare for him to even speak at all. His lack of personality really held the manga back from being anything of substance, and the only thing technique used to maintain interest was mystery bait. Even at that, the majority of the mysteries were never solved, and the ending was incredibly rushed with no explanations. The art ranged from being decent to being indecipherable.

 

[SSJ2]

Devilman - 6/10

A thoroughly entertaining story that was compacted into merely 5 volumes. Aside from Akira and Ryo, the supporting characters were forgettable. There was nothing special about any of the villains introduced, and it was hard to get invested into any of them. I think Ryo's transition into Satan was handled poorly and felt rushed. I'd say the end of the manga felt rushed in general. Suddenly all of humanity had been wiped out within one panel, and time skipped 20 years ahead to the final battle. It lacked impact.

 

[SSJ2]

Akira - 6.25/10

I was completely hooked by the first 3 volumes of the manga. The story was written in a way that produced non-stop action and tension, and I felt like it handled mystery very well. There were several issues that stood out to me. First, the cast of characters weren't anything special. The protagonist didn't have much personality beyond being an arrogant clown, and never developed much over the course of the manga. He was tolerable at best. The second issue was the constant plot armor given to the main cast. Aside from several minor characters dying, the protagonist was able to singlehandedly take on full armed military squads and never got so much as a scratch. There must have been over 100 engagements with armed enemies who all seemed to miss him with their fire. The third issue was pacing. It was 6 volumes total and the story could have easily been compressed into 4. If the manga maintained the excellent pacing of the first 3 volumes then I'd have bumped this rating up to a 7-7.5/10. Unfortunately the story dragged on and it got to the point where I was just hoping it would end soon.

Overall a very solid manga that is well deserving of its classic status.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc (up to chapter 25) - 1.5/10

The most obvious flaw of this sequel is just how much of an unnecessary cashgrab it is. Rurouni Kenshin was a manga that wrapped things up perfectly with a solid ending and provided catharsis to Kenshin's character. This not only left it with no reason to continue, but it shows within the writing of Kenshin's character, with him being given no new arc when it comes to inner conflict or further depth and all Watsuki can do with him is bring in his depleting stamina from past battles chipping away at him (something far from new to the Shonen demographic and something done far better in other series). On the subject of poorly handled characters, the new "A trio" are practically filler characters with no reason to be included; Asahi started off interesting with her mystery, but it became pointless when revealed as it was obvious Kenshin would hold no ill will and she became completely static thereafter and despite attempts to make it seem Ashitaro may make a heel turn, its execution would be unable to be anything but a poor man's Shishio with extra steps. The new villains are also very bland in their personality and motivations. The Kenkaku Heiki are also fairly contrived as antagonists, with the idea of them being able to hide from the Japanese government for centuries from living on Hokkaido yet still having the resources to gather so many members and gain enough foreign intelligence to ascertain the inevitable World Wars being far too much to swallow.
The way in which many characters are thrust into the story also makes their involvement come off as pointless fanservice with former Juppongatana members working with the main cast. I will say that Seijuro's characterisation is a natural progression and Eiji's interactions with both Kenshin and the Juppongatana make both of them the sequel's two redeeming qualities, but not to the extent of justifying its existence.
The most praise I can offer Hokkaido Hen is that it's slightly better than most other soulless and pointless cashgrabs of Shonen Nekketsu seen in recent years. It only has about 3 or 4 plot holes in its 25 chapters compared to Dragon Ball Super usually having 5 plot holes and 2 flanderisations of returning characters in an average chapter and it at least has some minor positives rather than being an absolute pile of nothing like Boruto, but reaching to the bottom of the barrel to praise this work shows how there really was no need to ruin one of the few Shonen series with a solid ending by having such a needless continuation, especially after Watsuki's crimes killed any sort of widespread support for it before its 2nd chapter even released.

 

[Papasmurf]

What's even sadder is that Watsuki himself is writing and drawing the cashgrab in its entirety, rather than just taking a backseat and letting understudy artists do the work like Kishimoto and .

 

[Warmmedown]

Inuyashiki anime - 10/10. The best anime I've watched under 30 episodes. Can't think of anything to change.

 

[SSJ2]

Inuyashiki anime - 10/10. The best anime I've watched under 30 episodes. Can't think of anything to change.

Damn that good? Definitely trying it after Last Order then.