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mnasirdey
Reviews
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
They're Starting To Get Trigger Happy
Let me start by saying, this episode was beautifully shot, with a nice (albeit very different) story regarding two characters that really didn't mean all that much in the original games storyline. In the grand scheme, Joel got his truck and his battery. Whatever else doesn't really matter.
With that being said, I'm worried they're beginning to deliberately deviate from the source material storyline just a bit too often. The changes with Tess and her arc? Amazing. The changes with how the cordyceps spread and control the infected? Well done This episode? Hit for some, miss for lots others. We still have quite possibly the two best arcs to look forward to (Ellie meeting David the cannibal and the final arc in the hospital) that I hope and pray get very little to NO changes. Just due to how well executed they were in the game.
As I've said, this episode was...fine (?) to me. The changes didn't anger or excite me, I just watched and moved on. But I'm noticing a pattern and, with the best yet to come, I worry that we might not get the best version of the future content. We'll see. This episode was alright, but they need to stop making so many changes.
Great Pretender (2020)
What is there to complain about??
There's just so much to say...this anime is a perfect 10/10. The animation is absolutely stunning. Vibrant colors and so much rich and dynamic scenery. The voice acting (especially with the incorporation of so many different languages and accents) is among the very best I've ever heard. The characters, each and every one of them, are very likeable and have their own deep backgrounds and history, a lot of which relates to other characters you'd previously have no idea were connected. The soundtrack? Every episode is given life with jazz riffs, soft pop and an enthralling score, and its all capped off with a Freddie Mercury tune that I didn't skip a single time throughout the series. Now we get to the story itself. Quite literally the driving force behind the anime. Plot twist after plot twist. Surprise after surprise. Intensity that constantly has you on the age of your seat, and wondering what'll happen next. Only you never know and the reveal is bound to drop your jaw. Each and every question you may have will be answered with just the right amount of detail and explanation. After keeping you hooked for 21 episodes, the final 2 present themselves with an ending executed more perfect than anything I've seen in a very long time. It all comes full circle. All my questions answered, all my expectations shattered, everything I thought I knew completely out the window. And just when I thought I had seen it all, an end credits scene that floored me. I did not see any of this coming! I've been watching anime for several years, I'm actually coming up on my 100th anime watched. This one was something else entirely. To make it in my top 3 of all time is a statement in and of itself.
Tales of Zestiria the X (2016)
If It Weren't For Ufotable...
Dear God...where do I even begin here? First off, as anyone who's played the game (which was a work of true art) can tell you, this show was NOTHING at all like it, which could've been a good thing, if the show didn't suck so much. I've got so many questions: Why was Alisha such a main focus in the show? Why was Maltran not revealed to be a hellion (which made Alisha a much better character in the game)? How did Rose know Dezels real name having only met him just a bit ago? How did Sorey know Lailah, Edna and Zaveids real names without ever asking? Why was the war between Rolance and Hyland like a sideplot of a sideplot? Why was the fact that dragons couldn't be purified just thrown into the wind for plot development? How did Rose and Alisha go from not being able to armitize without being half dead, to being able to do it perfectly in the very same episode. Why was Symonne just graciously accepted and allowed to follow the team to the north? Why did Lunarre suddenly change his view of the world and humans and kill himself protecting them? How was Heldalf able to completely subdue Maotelus (one of the 5 Gods) without any effort whatsoever...I could go on and on but this review would get very tedious. Let's just say this, if it weren't for Ufotables ever incredible animation, and the soundtrack ripped straight from the game which I adored, this show would be like a 2/10 at best. Also, Sorey is literally the worst anime main character I have EVER been cursed to witness. He is not only responsible for Rose having an existential crisis, and changing her way of life as a result, but the death of Dezel who is one of my favorite characters. This show sucked, don't waste your time.
Shingeki no Kyojin: Hero (2019)
I Don't Even Know What to Say
I'm writing this review with tears in my eyes after seeing the episode for the first time. Just...incredible. This is easily one of the most triumphant and well made anime episodes EVER. This episode still has a perfect 10.0 rating after over 21,000 reviews, haters, don't ruin it.