"Grandma, the outside is not scary at all."

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish may have had a slightly bumpy start, but it knows its own strengths and uses it to build its momentum. At its apex, this film shines in all its beauty and fills you up with all sorts of emotions. What you will witness from this anime is the clear result of a passionate team that knows how to delicately craft a story that is able to stand out among the crowd of modern anime.

Josee's story contains several tropes, including cliche ones, but it is able to execute them when time is appropriate and the result is of praise. The main characters, Josee and Tsuneo, got to meet each other through a coincidence, which is nothing special but certainly not bad. Their relationship went off to a rocky beginning, however, when both of them realized their similar interest for the ocean, it kicked off the steady climb in terms of their understanding of each other. That is great and all, but it was not yet what I was looking for. Josee always had a love for drawing of the ocean and fishes. She even dreams of her swimming as a mermaid in an underwater world with fishes. The part of the story that heavily stuck out to me was the scene where Josee reads a storybook to the children. Every page of the storybook was painted by Josee; every page of the storybook encapsulates Josee's love for the ocean. The story? An analogy of her dearest memories with Tsuneo. It really pulled my heartstrings. I teared up.

Alongside the story, Josee featured spectacular technical qualities. From the art to the voice acting, there is nothing I can really complain about at all. The soft lineart along with a colorful palette really suited what this film is about. They were consistent with it, and it allowed for dynamic facial expressions as well. If I were to nitpick something real quick, it would be the 3DCG standing out at times during certain parts of the film. Although that's not too much of a concern since most of the movie uses animated drawings, I figured to still point it out as a room for improvement. Other than that, I was particularly impressed with its lighting. It's something a lot of studios tend to cut corners on, but in all honesty good lighting can give your film an entire layer of color.

The OSTs for Josee were good, though I would not go out of my way to say it is breathtaking. Even so, Eve's 'Ao no Waltz' was quite powerful and incredible, what else can I really comment on. The voice acting, however, was really something else. Kaya Kiyohara really outperformed herself with the Kansai accent and the passionate immersion in her role; but that might just be me with my soft spot for Kansai accents.

In a romance film, what really matters is the character dynamic. How was it? I do not think their dynamics are original in any way, but it was executed in a manner that did not feel excessively tropey and overused. Pretty much what you might see in other romance series or movies, two main characters and two supporting characters, with the two girls soon falling in love with the same guy. This dynamic faintly reminds me of shows like Toradora, but with a lot less pointless drama. The latter factor allowed me to enjoy this film much more, and I am glad for that. I found the interactions between Josee and Tsuneo to be really cute though. I am weak for blushing, but they just kept blushing in romantically adorable ways. I give them an additional 10 points for tugging my heartstring.

On the whole, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish does use tropes, it does have character dynamics that have appeared in other shows before. At the same time, it features a promisingly solid story with its own times to truly shine alongside a magnificent production quality. Personally, I am biased to a cute romance couple so I enjoyed it a lot. Would I recommend it? Sure, it is a great film to just watch with a friend or even alone.

Time to flood this review section with my showering praises! Bad joke sorry. Being serious though, if I want to summarize Tenki no Ko with one phrase, that will be, lacking of confidence to make bold moves. Yes, I actually said that on a film that our best boy, Makoto Shinkai made. He has always made really bold moves on his movie with no drawbacks at all. However, Tenki no Ko felt different. It felt as if he was being nervous when he was producing this film, there was that sense of nervousness inside the story. Not a smart play there, my friend, many people will prefer bold moves compared to what you did here for this movie. However, I will give props to many things that this movie has done right, in this review. In the most spoiler-free way that you've ever seen in your life! >.>

Story wise, no matter how much I love Shinkai films, I'll have to say it in the most un-biased way possible. If you love a bold, powerful story, whether if it's sad or not. As long as it's bold. I will not recommend you to watch this film. Tenki no Ko was definitely an emotional one in a certain type of way, but at the same time, due to it not being daring enough to push it further. I felt that it was not strong enough to create a real powerful heart breaker that will literally make half of the people in the theaters go, " Somebody is cutting onions here ". The story felt wacky, literally. The scenes felt amusing to me rather than what they wanted me to feel sometimes. I don't know if it's just me, or everybody else too. The story just feels off the mark compared to other movies that I've thought were great. Such as 'Your Name.' , 'A Silent Voice' etc. This movie still hits objective of it being a romance movie with the feels rolling like the wheels of a train. (If you got that you are the 1% that can understand my genuine jokes)

Speaking of trains, let's look at RADWIMPS. (Reference to their MV for 'Is there still anything that love can do', an OST used for Tenki no Ko) | They have once again outdone themselves with the music, especially 'Is there still anything that love can do?' , which plays as the camera flows through the soundscapes like a typical Shinkai film. I also felt the real push when they used the OST 'Grand Escape' in the film, at the best time as well. It was placed in so well that it contributed a lot to the emotions that you were supposed to feel during that scene. Want to know which scene? Well, too bad it's a spoiler-free review or I would have showered spoilers on you all! (sorry.) As for voice actors go, I really love how instead of choosing crazy popular voice actors such as HanaKana, they chose voice actors who basically never had a role ever as the main character of the movie. Even if that was their first time playing the movie, they sounded beautiful. I highly respect that point. "That scores high points!" , is what Komachi will say. (Reference to anime Oregairu) The foley sounds were incredibly well made, the raindrops sounded pretty legit, the walking felt really in sync with the character too. Okay that's really all I have to say for that LOL.

CoMix Wave Films never ever disappoint me when it comes to visuals. Be it 'Your Name.' , 'The Garden of Words' , '5 Centimetres per Second' or other films, the shadow, the lighting & even the raindrops look incredibly well drawn. They really spent a lot of effort & budget into this movie, and I really appreciate it. The way the water moves upwards into the sky truly look beautiful, as if I'm literally in heaven. The way Hina was designed was really cute and meaningful. The water pendant on her made her feel more like a sunshine girl than just having a title. The jacket kind of top was also trying to signify a similar thing as well. Hodoka's design was pretty plain and normal, but that actually was probably done on purpose. In contrast to the sunshine girl who could control weather, Hodoka was just a normal boy who has ran away from his home, unemployed and has no money. Honestly no words to say for such amazing visuals other than amazing job team.

To keep a spoiler-free review, I'll only talk about Hina and Hodaka. Hina is a sweet, carefree girl that is able to control weather. Hodoka is a daring, brave young soul that is willing to do anything for save a person that he loves. The comedy that they build together is pretty enjoyable and the other emotions that they create together is really really adorable. I really cannot elaborate because I got to keep it as spoiler-free as possible so yeah.

I honestly really enjoyed the film, it was a bunch of mixed emotions entering me and it felt like my feelings were getting blended during the time I was watching the movie. Joy, happiness, sorrow, proud, admiration & many more. This movie honestly has a lot to offer itself if you just take out its few flaws that it holds. I will recommend this film to anybody that is a real big fan of Makoto Shinkai because this is definitely something more different compared to his other films that he made. Other people who aren't fans of Makoto Shinkai are also recommended as well as long as you don't hate Slice of Life mixed with Drama. It creates an effect that may seem undesirable to some people. Good movie.

Boku no Hero Academia 4 was one of the most underwhelming of the series I’ve seen yet but also the most exciting season I’ve seen yet. The transition between Season 3 and Season 4 was mainly the cause of the first arc being underwhelming and awkward to even begin with. Despite this, the series was still able to barely push out of the boulder it trapped itself in and put momentum into it.

Despite the first arc being called dragged out by many people, I would beg to differ. The first arc may not have been as straightforward as how a shounen anime should have been, I believe it was the right choice to have done it this way. The grief Midoriya and the others felt, the stress and effort they were put under when strategizing for this invasion were all build-up to the climax of the arc. They poured all their effort into strategizing for the invasion and it portrays how both sides were going to deal with the opposing parties. The determination and grit Lemillion and Deku held wouldn’t have been portrayed well enough without the so-called “unnecessary drag”. Eri wasn’t the only one suffering, everybody was. It was the right move to have portrayed that.

Putting the considerably unstable and controversial first arc aside, we reached the second arc—the School Festival Arc. Well, basically my favorite arc every anime that ever had it. However, I really liked how Boku no Hero Academia moved with this arc. Believe me or not, I’m not a big fan of battle shounen. That also goes to show that I’m not the biggest fan of Boku no Hero Academia either. However, one thing that caught my attention the most is the festival arcs. They do exceptionally well in that factor, and this School Festival arc allowed me to ensure that.

In the Sports Festival, they were able to portray and develop the students of Class 1A. One of the notable ones would be Todoroki, his backstory heavily portrayed who he is now, and his battle with Midoriya changed him. There are a lot more but I want to talk about it but this is the wrong review for it, so I’ll hold back my words and use it for a more appropriate occasion. Now back to the School Festival, I loved how this time they portrayed and developed the more underrated characters, one of them especially is Jirou—best girl. She felt unappreciated and this was the perfect time for her to shine. But most importantly, this arc’s main focus wasn’t just about having fun, it was also to make a certain girl smile again. To get her out of the self-deprecation she is in and the stress she’s put herself under, just to see Eri’s precious smile again was something that just made me go, “TAKE MY MONEY“. I’ve been there before, emotionally scarred and ended up being a self-deprecating freak. People may find her smiling again being trivial and some may not even be concerned about it, but to me, I treasure it a lot. Being able to stand up again and face humanity is a great feat.

We also had a small follow up with Todoroki and the rest about their licensing exam, which also gave us a quick outlook on what’s happening to the world. My favorite one being quirks getting more and more complex. Reason? It’s realistic, just like how humans constantly evolve, get smarter and make more complex things; Quirks constantly evolve and start to give itself more and more variety, with the result being those children. This can potentially be an arc in the future and I’m curious to see how they deal with it.

Overall, Boku no Hero Academia Season 4 has its share of flaws, one thing I think they’ll still have to work on is transitioning. However besides that, the OP and EDs are as great as ever, the characters are still as fun as ever. And most importantly, you’ll have a blast watching it!

On a side note, stay healthy, stay at home and keep watching anime!

Alright alright. When I first took a glance at BNA, I felt that it was going to be something pretty cool and awesome. Well, was I wrong, or was I right? I’d say neither. BNA is a show that shows the darker side of the world if beastmen really existed.

Firstly, I was pretty shocked to find out that BNA was 12 episodes instead of 24. The setting and everything made it feel like it would have lasted a lot longer than what it actually is. The world-building and everything made you have an easy understanding of what is going on with their world and I honestly appreciate that they used several episodes for that. The story is extremely simple and straightforward, with some things still left unexplained, such as how does Michiru has all these incredibly supernatural powers, even in a supernatural world. I personally enjoyed this show a lot, how you could have never dreamed of such a city being existent in our world. And that the balance between the comedy and the seriousness was of good standards. That dark feeling along with Slice of Life being the jam on top of it created that urban fantasy type of feeling.

Even though the story was shown in a straight-forward and simple way as it chooses not to be sophisticated, however, those final few episodes in my honest opinion wasn’t able to push out a darker feeling than I expected it to release. Like I said, Slice of Life is the jam, don’t forget what you’re eating is still the bread. I feel that a darker final few episodes, even if the resolution is still the same, would have impacted many more audiences, myself included.

Another thing that got me started on BNA was the pretty unique art style. Nowadays most modern anime (especially isekais) tend to adapt with that pretty generic art style which I don’t mean to be an elitist or anything, I don’t appreciate much. So having this unique curvy, joyful, and dynamic art style is definitely a plus in the art department. As for animation, I don’t have much to say, it’s Trigger. They've always been gorgeous when it comes to their style of animation. If they fail in animation, it’s the same as saying KyoAni produces the shitty art—which in contrast, produces the most eye-candy art you'll ever imagine.

As for sound goes, I was pretty satisfied. Actually, I was more than satisfied, I was pretty impressed. The OSTs, OP & ED, all had that urban modern society taste imbued into them, along with a bit of a futuristic kind of feeling as well. This led me to really enjoy them and rock to the beat, although that is more of a subjective thing. One OST that impacted me was that song Michiru and Nazuna sang together, it reminded me of how special friends were, and yeah. That’s literally all.

The character development for the characters I would say wasn’t the most substantial, but it’s decent for a 12 episode series. Especially Oogami, his character development, backstory, and everything was really well-done and Trigger deserves a thumbs up for that. Michiru like what Nazuna always tells her hasn’t changed much. Well, I suppose that is pretty realistic, humans don’t change much over such a short period of time do they, especially for somebody as stubborn as Michiru. But the characters overall were really enjoyable and I had a really fun time watching them. (Especially my little precious bear Jackie)

Overall, I had loads of fun watching BNA, although story-wise it was not even close to what I had wanted, but I got something else that I didn’t ask for: Fun character interaction. Honestly, I’m satisfied with just that. So, you interested in BNA? Sure, go ahead, but don’t expect some crazy complicated storyline that even the great Hououin Kyouma can’t figure out. ;)

"I just wanted to see her smile again."

Well, well. What have I got to say... That was some pretty good words coming from a guy who has spent so much time trying to get her to wake up again. This Sci-Fi romance film was something I wouldn't have expected to be extraordinary, I kind of kept my hopes down for the entire film. But after watching the movie, it felt... decent? good? I was confused at that point. However, what I CAN say is that the romance was implied pretty strongly on the main character. Spending 10 years to save a girl you literally just started dating with? That's some sheer determination there my good old friend. Enough sputtering filler phrases, let me start my review on Hello World.

To begin with, the story felt... confusing? Especially at the end, it might make you go, "what just happened?" Well yeah, that was me as well. But if you got confused at any part during the movie other than the last, I suggest you go watch Steins;Gate again to turn yourself into a true mad scientist! (Not sponsored by Dr. Pepper) However, you got to catch the information quickly especially at the first when it was the most crucial about his future self explaining about ALLTALE Quantum technology. If you missed that, good luck trying to understand the whole movie. If you didn't miss that however, good for you then! You have just gotten the whole gist of the movie. Now onto the romance, as a romance-freak, I don't know I should be happy or not. But all Naomi did was just follow his future self's instruction and got her in the basement. Why can't that happen to me as well? I want my future self to get me a girlfriend too! Sadly, this is indeed a Sci-Fi movie so I cannot complain and whine about it, but still!

Now onto the art & animation, which the art felt lackluster in emotions for a Romance film. However, do keep in mind that this a full CGI film, so get ready to see some wack animation. I only noticed one however, but it downgraded the whole thing since that animation was literally one of the simplest ones that is given a lot of time, I can probably do it as well. Back to the art, although lackluster, there were a few scenes that were incredibly cute thanks to the visuals. So it depends on whether you care about the Romance or the Sci-Fi, and then you see it yourself from a specific viewpoint then on. What I have to seriously criticize on however is the amount of color they used in the movie. Oh my lord there was so much rainbow beams shining everywhere my eyes actually hurt from watching. That is one thing I want everyone to take note of : A LOT OF RAINBOW

Not to mention, the music was pretty dope. It's honestly personal preference though since we all have different tastes in music. But for me, I loved it. As for the voice actors, they've honestly done a pretty good job at... doing their job? There were some moments however that should've been implied harder than what was screened. So... director's issue? I don't understand the industry that much so I assume I have no say in something trivial like this. But still, good job.

Okay, Ruri and Naomi were so cute together it just felt amazing. (and then the story went downhill from there but let's not talk about the sad times) | Naomi in the future felt like a how a mentor should feel like, although there were some "disagreements", he has done his part well at tutoring himself in the past. Naomi in the past wasn't a wimp either, you can see the his development throughout the story through sheer willpower to save Ruri. He isn't that wimpy kid that doesn't even dare to enter the library anymore, he is a reliable and independent teen that people can rely on. As for Ruri, the only true character development she got was only when she is with Naomi. But without her, this whole story wouldn't have existed so she is still crucial for the story.

Haha, I know everyone is waiting for this. If you hated this movie, you will want me to type here : I hated this shit 0/10 no watch pls. Vice versa, if you loved this movie, you will want me to type here : I loved this movie omg 10/10 pls watch. I'll be honest here, I have mixed feelings for the movie. For me, I love sci-fi theories and I read a lot about them. So naturally I understood and enjoyed the movie. But at the same time, I love to look at things on an unbiased scale. What about the people who just came here with no knowledge of sci-fi whatsoever? Will they know what's the butterfly effect? A parallel world? A paradox? Naturally, they will get confused and not enjoy the movie as much as I did. Personally, the romance contributed a great factor for those who did not understand the sci-fi stuff IMO. As I said above, I am a romance-freak, so I savored every moment of romance the movie contained. Now for the big revelation, I will get my enjoyment an 8/10.

Overall, if you have epilepsy, I will not recommend this movie due to the amount of colors and the motion. If you do not however, I can recommend it if you like Sci-Fi or romance. Or else, if you just like anything you watch then why are you here? Go ahead. However, if you are a critic that hates CGI, romance and time traveling. Then please, do not watch this. I already warned you beforehand. Well then, signing off. El Psy Congroo