ReLIFE, Episode 5

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Within every episode so far, there has been a reminder that Kaizaki is old. Usually in the form of a half-baked joke, ReLIFE can’t seem to get away from just outright telling you that this guy is actually a 27 year old man that looks like a high school student. Now, considering this is the entire premise of the show, and that we’re already on episode 5, you’d think we’d be past the unsubtle explanations. Things like his actions and the way he talks should be enough to illustrate the point. I just don’t want to see the same lame joke anymore of someone acknowledging he’s like an adult only for his inner monologue to have that gut check moment of wondering if they’re on to him. No one’s on to you, Kaizaki. Now let’s move on. Continue reading

First Impressions of Summer Anime 2016

91 Days

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Ooh, a good, old-fashioned mafia-action-murder-mystery-revenge flick! While the premise is pretty basic and the animation isn’t anything special, 91 Days manages to hold my interest with its well-choreographed fight scenes and endless sense of intrigue. Angelo wants vengeance on the people that took his family away from him as a young child, and it seems like he’s willing to do anything in pursuit of that goal. The show knows to give a clear objective so the audience isn’t left feeling aimless and unsure of an actual ending. That being said, 91 Days also knows how to withhold informational, leaving plenty of discoveries for the road ahead. We start knowing that the murders have some tie to the mafia. Other than that, Angelo has to earn the details of his family’s death through his dangerous infiltration of the mafia. He doesn’t know who killed his parents or why, but he will, and that’s what’s so exciting about the show. Continue reading

ReLIFE, Episode 2 & 3

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Episode 2

I find it odd (and interesting) that Kaizaki so boldly approached Chizuru for the first time. It was the lunch scene; Kaizaki leaves his table of friends to go talk to Chizuru who seems to be at a loss with the cafeteria staff. She can’t get food because she didn’t bring money and she hasn’t yet obtain her special pin which constitutes as a “food pass”. Kaizaki doesn’t know this yet as he walks up to her to check. I guess he expressed a little interest in her from the previous episode, but it didn’t seem like enough to greet her out of the blue like that. Is this supposed to say something about Kaizaki’s character? Somewhere along the line he learned that approaching people, especially girls, was no big deal? And that it’s easy to be straightforward and honest with people right off the bat? I’m not understanding where his attitude comes from, considering he’s a NEET I wouldn’t expect this extroverted behavior. That being said, I like where it ended up. They had very delightful conversation and revealed more of what Chizuru is like, sparking what seems to a very promising friendship down the road. I just thought his motivations in this part were a little fuzzy and/or untold, which was strange considering the show has done a pretty good job so far of expressing what’s on Kaizaki’s mind via inner-monologues and such. Continue reading

Episode 1 Review Showdown: ReLIFE vs. NEW GAME!

Now, if you’ve been following me on Twitter you know that there’s been a great debate on what I should review episodically this anime summer season. I ran a poll to try and determine what I should be giving a write up to week after week, and to my surprise it ended in a tie! So as a tiebreaker,  I decided to just review each first episode and see what I liked more. Enjoy. Continue reading