I asked one of my friends for a suggestion on what to review next and it had to be something terrible, obscure or random and I was given Kakegurui.
Hyakkaou Academy is a school run by gambling, to get into a high position you must be willing to bet high stakes, those who win get the high praise and status of the student council, those who lose become house pets drowning in debt who are nothing more than playthings for the victors.
Things change when Yumeko Jabami enrolls and straight away she dismantles the establishment one student at a time but what is her goal? Well nothing she's a compulsive gambler who just loves gambling, seriously that's her only motivation for the whole series, it's not like Yugi Moto who gambles for the sake of saving his friends or Rio Rollins whose gambling makes people happier, she just loves gambling.
If there is a plus to this series it really does show gambling in all it's sinister glory and the live action version looks more fun and the concept has worked before in the pre duel monsters YuGiOh but my god with no character motivation and facial expressions that makes every character look like they're passing a kidney stone it's impossible to take seriously and makes the whole show look dumb. Dub is passable and if this is the best Netflix can offer other than Seven Deadly Sins I don't plan on subscribing any time soon.
Final Verdict: the concept works but the lack of character motivation and the over the top facial expressions make this series utterly dumb to watch, there's a second season starting next year but the anime has shown it's entire hand there's nothing left to surprise me and it's not worth continuing.
Now that I've returned I want to keep reviewing as I've really missed it so lets continue with the next one.
Originally named Lakewood Plaza Turbo which is a much more awesome name, Ok Ko Lets Be Heroes is about a world of heroes that functions as if it were the real world only everyone has a cool power. Our lead is the optimistic Ko a kid who works at the convenience store with friends Enid and Rad as Ko looks to find his place among the heroes all while defeating the evils of Lord Boxman.
I mentioned last episode about cartoon network being built on simple art styles but this one takes the cake and it kind of works in its favour.
Ko does suffer the same problem as Steven Universe as most stories can't function without him but at the very least the side characters don't need him to drive the whole plot.
It's also pretty bad at trying to deliver important messages such as gun control which it fails spectacularly at.
But it's characters are charming and surprisingly well written for a show that anyone with a pencil can draw but it's single greatest strength lies in it's universal link to the whole of the cartoon network universe and even pre cartoon network hanna barbera properties; as of writing captain planet, Ben 10, teen titans go, the ghoul school from Scooby doo, Steven Universe as well as every major and minor cartoon network release in it's history has shown up in this cartoon prompting tons of speculation about possible reboots especially captain planet who has implied that most of the planeteers have quit and got real jobs, that I want to see.
So overall providing it keeps up it's strengths and stays on air and doesn't botch up it's morals then ok ko will still be good.
Wow it's been this long since I last posted. Well let's bring it all back with a popular show Steven Universe.
To remind everyone of my previous views on Steven Universe I judged it as not as great as it should be and now I get to tell you why.
For those unfamiliar Steven Universe is about a boy raised by gem warriors from out of space as per request of his late mother who was also a gem warriors. The entire series is about stopping an intergalactic war between the earth and the gems all while dealing with the problems of social acceptance in a world too amazing and intimidating to deal with.
This already creates a problem as the story is torn between the big plot of the Crystal gems vs the lives of the beach town not helped when the beach town residents are jerks and really not that interesting all topped off with the fact that Steven is needed for every plot point whether it be important or not which is why I don't remember mighty max or darkstalkers American version fondly which have similar plots.
That's not to say I hate it. The Crystal gems themselves are compelling characters and I would quite easily be a fan if it was just about them.
And also Rebecca sugar clearly failed English literature because the plot is unintentionally written in a way that were supposed to offer sympathy for villains who are on par with the galactic empire in terms of atrocities, again there are good writing moments such as the LGBT centric episodes being beautiful pieces of cartoon history but my god please hire a writer because I really wanted the villains to be pure evil and the town's people are not interesting stop writing episodes for them.
I can forgive it's animation as cartoon network was created on simple art styles. Overall I just can't like Steven Universe. It has it's place in cartoon history but you won't find it on my playlist and knowing how fanatical the fan base gets I can only say this. Yes it's great that you feel empowered to express your beliefs and feel comfortable about your sexuality through this show but don't bully people for the way they like Steven Universe because they aren't the same as you. People can like and dislike what they want, it doesn't make me any less of a person for not liking Steven Universe and I never criticise anyone who does watch a show I hate or dislike. And if there is a problem with me disliking Steven Universe then your not going to like my views on Rick and Morty
One more review just to close out
In the not to distant future, no one drives anymore, the concept of physical driving is obsolete as every other car is automated A.I, however the technology proves unreliable as the A.I frequently goes out of control leading to runaway cars. Enter the Ex-Drivers, a group of capable drivers who pilot famous sports cars in an attempt to stop runaway vehicles, our team consists of capable teens Lorna Endo, Lisa Sakakino and the even younger pre-teen Soichi Sugano.
The concept of this anime is fantastic and has now become more relevant as Google starts introducing driverless cars for general use so a story like this needs a comeback as this anime is a good 17 years old, sadly as this was created by Kosuke Fujishima it plays a little too safe like previous works Oh My Goddess and You're Under Arrest, but it does mean guaranteed maticulous accuracy in vehicle design such as the Caterham Super 7 and Lotus Europa along with the Lancia Stratos but this series does suffer by the fact that all three main characters would not pass a real life driving test due to age. I'm not saying this because I watched all the Fast and Furious movies, nor is it because Riding Bean is one of my top ten favorite anime, but the plot is equal to a big blockbuster movie and having kids do it reeks of 4Kids, (yes I know the irony of that statement with the film Baby Driver out in Cinema) not helped with a poorly acted dub and not being able to unhear Soichi's voice which is basically Digimon's Tai.
I hope the movie can at least repair some criticisms and the one off OVA Danger Zone at least gave an impression of a more comedic approach but overall, a great idea hidden by the creator's habit of playing too safe but at least he knows how to draw some beautiful cars.
Final Verdict: Great idea, and has the potential to come back but the cast needs to be older and a lot more action packed, it's not difficult to do and has been proven to work, so give it another go.
Another long gap between reviews, like I said before this is going to be common for a while so hopefully I can post when I can.
Amagi Brilliant Park is from the pen of Shoji Gatoh who you probably know from Full Metal Panic and the obvious reference to Bonta Kun, the mascot of his works, so lets see how this pans out.
Seiya Kanie is a former child actor, forcibly dragged to Amagi Brilliant Park Amusement Park by the well endowed Isuzu Sento; the first impression is not great, met with lacklustre rides, broken scenery and disgruntled mascots, disgusted by what he sees and with encouragement from the park's princess, Seiya agrees to turn around the park before it closes registering the quota of guests needed to keep going however the cast members of the park are actually real magic creatures and the stakes are far higher than simply closing.
The series sort of starts without context which is hard to work with but improves dramatically over time with plenty of Gatoh's trademark humor, but not without faults, for one thing there are some moments that are forced and slightly cringeworthy made worst by a mixed dub and I realize that Moffle, the Bonta Kun ripoff is voiced by his previous actor Tiffany Grant but this is the part where sounding like a male is better for the character and again lack of context prevents me from really engaging with the cast as there is no back story to Seiya's childhood days nor is there more info on how Isuzu managed to bring the park to ruin when she was running things with only a fair idea to work with.
On the other hand the episodes are well written and Seiya's egotism actually makes his character work, also the three main mascots are a mixture of former soldier, delinquent and pervert in order of popularity which makes for many fun scenes along with Isuzu's lack of social skills.
Overall this series could be better but the stuff we did get was fun and memorable.
Final Verdict: Needs fine tuning and requires some polish but a decent watch and very amusing.
