Month: March 2020

There are many genres of Anime and styles that usually go unnoticed because the most popular anime falls under the generic action or Shonen category. One category that is interesting to explore is the gambling/thriller genre within anime. There are many anime that focus on the thrill of gambling and the implication of risking your life on a game. One anime that plays on this relatively common trope is Kakegurui. It is a relatively short anime on Netflix that revolves around a hierarchy of gambling and what effect it has on a person when they lose. 

Attending Hyakkaou Private Academy prepares students for their time in the real world. Since many of the students are the children of the richest people in the world, the academy at night, it turns into a gambling den, educating them in the art of dealing with money and manipulating people. Money is power; those who come out on top in the games stand at the top of the school. The best gamblers are treated like gods while the worst gamblers are treated as less than human Yumeko Jabami, a seemingly naive transfer student, is ready to try her hand at Hyakkaou’s gambling. Unlike the rest, she doesn’t play to win, but for the thrill of the gamble, and her borderline insane way of gambling might just bring too many new cards to the table. Once she joins the school she immediately starts to gamble as much as possible completely shaking up the hierarchy of the school in an irrational and insane way. This show plays upon the insanity of gambling addiction to the extreme where the thrill of the gamble becomes the only thing that keeps Yumeko going. 

The animation is done extremely well, as most Netflix anime are. Whenever Netflix adopts an anime the animation and arty style is usually done at an extremely high quality. This helps to add emotion and make the viewer also feel the thrill of the gamble. Every game has increasingly dangerous consequences that seem almost otherworldly so having the detailed animation helps feel the same danger that the characters in the show feel.

The show overall is good, not excellent but has some entertainment factors. The animation and initial premise is quite good. Where it falls is the execution of the plot. It becomes almost monotonous because you know that the main character would win every time so it took away from the shock factor of each game. If there were some chances of the main characters losing then it would be a more compelling anime to watch. I do recommend it but if you are just getting to anime this would not be a good one to start with. 

Attack on Titan is one of the most highly revered anime in the last 5 years for its captivating story and amazing character development. The show has been one of the most popular anime in recent times ranking at number 5 on the top 100 all time great anime. The fan support for this show is incredible and with season 4 potentially coming out in 2020 Attack on Titan has only been gaining more traction as the days go on. The story starts with main character Eren as a child, who lives in Shiganshina, a district within the outer wall which is used to protect against colossal titans that will try to invade the city. The titans do break through the wall, and ravage the town killing Erens family and pushing back into the second layer of walls. The story continues with teenage Eren and his friends joining the scouts, a division of the military that fights against Titans. The story follows their journey to trying to understand the titan phenomena better while also protecting their home from the threat that they face everyday. The show can get dark as this is a fight for human survival. There are many dreary thematic elements such as death, loss and hopelessness but that is what gives this anime its emotion and impact. In terms of story this is one of the most interesting anime I have ever watched because in season 3 there are many so many plot twists that connect the story together that it makes it worth watching everything. 

Eren as a character goes under so much character development throughout the three seasons of the show. He starts out as this wide eyed boy that wants to just fight against the titans with all of his power. Once he starts getting exposed to the tragedy of his reality then he slowly starts losing that same optimism he once had until he just becomes cold and only focused on his goal of ridding the world of titans. 

The music and animation are also exceptional. They add a level of depth to every scene that is not seen as much in current anime. What is even more exceptional however is the voice acting. You can feel the emotion with every line which is something that really differentiates this anime from the rest. 

If you were ever skeptical about anime but wanted to give it a try this is definitely one to start with. It has every element that a good TV show has and will hook you in right from the start. It may not be for everyone but I feel that a lot of people would enjoy Attack on Titan if they gave it a chance.  

 

Fighting for the little guy is something that we can all get behind. TV shows that show  seemingly weaker characters develop and grow into a complete person is a storyline that can’t go wrong with the audience. Mob Psycho 100 is a story about a middle school student who is seemingly weaker and overall emotionless. However, this world has many espers, or people with telekinetic power, and it just so happens that he is one of the strongest espers in the entire world. He hates using his power for violence and always keeps his emotions repressed. Although when necessary his emotions boil over and burst causing him to gain extreme power or feel extreme emotions which change his whole personality.  Mob Psycho 100 is generally about Mob, the main character, trying to find himself and integrate into society as a normal teenage boy. Along the way he does battle threats to the world but each of those battles create a closer group of friends and loved ones that Mob did not really have in the beginning. 

The plot, although basic, can be very deep and thoughtful because the story always considers the emotional implications of each action and how it affects Mob on a personal level. We find Mob feeling all different types of emotions which then seemingly control him and take him over because of the intensity of the emotions. Whether it is anger or happiness each emotion that Mob feels helps him grow as a person and makes him closer to society. The story as a whole is really good because it draws emotional implications that we as a viewer can relate to. 

The art style is unique as there is almost nothing similar to it in all of the Anime I’ve watched. It is a very cartoon style that helps bring some humor to Mob even though he can be quite emotionless throughout the series as he is building up his emotions. The animation is smooth and creates an easy flow of movements even though the art style is very smooth. The music is also extremely emotional and I find myself going back and listening to the sound track often during my free time. The music adds a lot of feeling to each scene and helps complete this masterpiece of an anime.

Overall, if you enjoy tv series that revolve around an outcast and how they reintegrate back into society this show is definitely for you. More generally, a feel good story about acceptance despite being different from everybody. Mob learns that he is enough and that his powers are not a curse but instead a blessing that can help people in dire situations.