Didn't think I would talk this much about the Dot Hack franchise.
Shugo and Rena are twins separated by their divorced parents, one day they win the Avatars of the Legendary Dot Hacker heroes Kite and Black Rose entering the Online game The World.
The game itself suffers from unusual problems when the monsters seemingly can't be destroyed, when Shugo is killed in battle, he is revived by Aura and given the Twilight Bracelet once owned by Kite allowing him to use Data Drain, an overpowered ability to reduce monsters to their lowest level by rewriting the code.
As the issue worsens, Rena is kidnapped by a mysterious entity reducing her real life self into a coma. Shugo joined by Mireille, Hotaru, Ouka, Sanjuro and Balmung, set out to prevent the collapse of the World and save Rena.
There's a bit more to this adaption over Hack Sign as it shows us alot more game in this anime about an online game but is severely let down by failing to utilize it's more human moments effectively and ultimately leading it's cast on a wild goose chase not helped by botched antagonists, there's no lead up or any foreshadowing to the final boss not to mention Shugo being woefully bad at the game and Rena forced to play the damsel in distress despite looking like the smarter character.
The dub is very grating, I don't want to hear the names Shugo and Rena for a long time.
Speaking of Shugo and Rena, enough with the sister complex already, it's creepy, nor do I appreciate you trying to sneak in fan service.
Legend of the Twilight has the bonus of being one of the first manga I ever read, while that story is vastly different to the anime, I can't look at either of them with any fond memories; My nostalgic side questions why I liked this series, might be because the secondary cast more than makes up for the poor leads and each one has a more interesting story to tell.
Final Verdict: A little more active than Hack Sign but still suffers from the constant missed opportunities presented in it's narrative. A better writer could save this franchise easily such is the curse of Dot Hack's writing.
Now for something completely different.
Tatara Fujita is a student with no goals to pursue or a future he can put his energy into until a chance encounter with Sengoku, a professional ballroom dancer draws him into the very dance studio he was standing outside of, with an uncanny ability to learn by watching and perhaps tempted by Shizuku also practising in the same dance studio, Tatara's path is drawn into the magnificent world of dance sport as he aims to someday go pro, his route however may not be the most straight forward.
Fun fact, the British initially created the TV dance show Dancing with the Stars but our version is called Strictly Come Dancing which is based on an even older British dance show simply named Come Dancing.
TV trivia aside, this anime is so unique from the art and characters to the animation and story, it fully embraces the world of Ballroom and treats it like a canvas of artistic movement, it displays a fierce passion as fiery as an Argentine Tango, an elegance of a Viennese Waltz, the rich vibrant colour palette of a Spanish Paso Doble and the fun frolicks of an American Foxtrot.
It never fails to keep things interesting especially with larger than life characters like Sengoku about, you'll find that despite being a very niche subject for a sports anime it can be just as intense as more traditional sports.
Don't believe there is a dub but I can only see it working if they got someone good to voice Sengoku, strangely there is a German dub.
Final Verdict: Any fan of artsy and sports anime will definitely find alot to enjoy in this series, even if it's just a curiosity, you'll find that the charisma of the dance choreography alone will draw you in.
Alright some more review content, I'm expecting to put more up over April and finish some bigger projects.
Igarashi is a 23 year old Business Woman newly started at a Trading Company but her appearance is hardly what you would define as adult, her small stature and lack of noticeable assets becomes a running joke particularly for her Senpai Takeda, a man twice her size who treats Igarashi like a child, over the course of 18 months in story we see how Igarashi and Takeda's relationship develop from more than colleagues to out right friends and maybe more, the B plot focusses on the more buxom Sakurai and the dead eyed Kazama's relationship going the same way.
The entire series is wholesome from start to finish and played way more mature than I thought it would, not always taking the low hanging fruit but keeping a neat balance in all areas, my only complaint is the frequency of throwing characters into trouble where there is an attempted attack mostly on Igaraahi that needs to be stopped mostly by Takeda, after the first time it becomes a lazy plot device that really wasn't needed but happens in nearly half of the series' episodes.
I think there's a dub but I wouldn't like it as much.
Final Verdict: A wholesome series from start to finish that understands that not all romantic comedies need to be loud and physical, mature and quiet can be just as effective.
I'm looking to review an anime every day this week, keep on the look out.
Futaba has just moved from the city to the coastal town of Shizuoka where she meets the eccentric Hikari, lacking self esteem and very introverted, Futaba is drawn into Hikari's diving club with a brother sister duo and a very unique teacher, Futaba's life of mundane is now a journey of beautiful friendships and discovering life through diving.
This is the most slice of life you can possibly get in anime, not surprising as it's the same author as Aria, an equally relaxing slice of life; this means that there is literally nothing really major going on and the only developments are the friendships on display and the lessons learned from it, but there is beauty in escaping into this kind of world as life continues to be challenging.
A dub would break the immersion so is not recommended assuming it has one.
Final Verdict: A wonderful story that is super relaxing and laid back with a friendship as beautiful as the very ocean, it's slow for a good reason so may not suit everyone, especially if you are after a more proactive experience in anime.
I'm writing this from a hotel room at a con.
Sei is a burnt out office worker who suddenly gets summoned to another world in a summoning ceremony, the summoning of a Saint that will save the world of Salutania from a growing plague of monsters.
Sei however is summoned alongside a younger girl; the Prince ignores Sei and declares Aira, the other girl as the Saint.
With no way back along with the Kingdom having impeccable manners, Sei stays and goes into medicinal floral research where her high work ethic and affinity for healing magic makes her a vital part of the research team, but when she saves Captain Albert Hawke and his soldiers from near death and career ending injuries with miracle healing, it becomes more apparent that Sei is really the Saint.
This had the potential to go downhill pretty fast but ends up becoming a nice change of pace for an Isekai by being more focussed on the Slice of Life elements and letting Sei discover her powers carefully on her own, at no point does the anime feel like it's going to take any bad turns, even if Captain Hawke's army are pretty weak and even when Prince Kyle tries to weasel his way out of his mistake.
The ending however is a cheap cop out as it does rob Sei of some of her character.
The dub is really good though especially Celeste Perez who gives a fantastic Sei.
Final Verdict: A charming isekai for those sick of the usual tropes but the ending does feel like a cop out.
