Itazura na Kiss is Stupid | The Okay Parts

Prologue
Being able to get me to not like something to the point of being disgusted with it is something that can arguably be an achievement, even if that achievement isn't exactly a good one, because it usually takes a lot for me to get to that point. Itazura na Kiss is one of those things, and I'm afraid my disgust for this particular anime, in my opinion, was well earned. Sure, there are things that naturally earn their status due to just how terrible they are, such as Chargeman Ken, but there are other shows that earn their status over time once people have had time to consume the material off of it's hype, such as The Legend of Korra. Itazura na Kiss slightly falls more into the latter of this medium, but that's mainly due to the credit of the animators that did a decent job on the anime adaptation in 2008.

Defining & Disclaimers
For those unfamiliar with it, Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese shojo anime series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada in 1990, which got an anime adaptation in 2008. It goes by other names as well, such as Playful Kiss or Mischievous Kiss - for the sake of consistency, I'm going to stick to the original name.

Allow me to preface that, at time of writing, I will only be covering the manga and the anime adaptation. Please don't ask me to cover the other adaptations, as how terrible both of these versions were has turned me off from ever picking up this series again except maybe to tear it apart a bit more.

What I Liked

Let me make something clear - there were a few things that I liked, but I'm afraid that as time has gone on, it's tolerant at best for some of these things.

For starters, the animation: the anime was fine, and my untrained eye didn't see any blatant errors like I saw in Sailor Moon Crystal. However, I cannot say the same for the manga: the manga was so ugly that I'm surprised it got an adaptation, much less multiple. To be fair, if One Punch Man could get out of this manga-ugly-rut and become the popular anime that it did, surely it's not the biggest deal breaker in the world. Design complains mainly go to the main character, but that's for another time.

I'm also willing to give the music some leeway here. I don't care for the starting song, but the end credits song is pretty. Seriously, what is up with shitty anime getting the prettier songs in some cases?

The only other thing I can think of fondly to any extent is the relationship between Kinnosuke and Chris. While I don't like how they got together, their shown to be a healthier couple than the leading couple we see more on screen, which sucks as far as storytelling goes.

Sooo... what exactly about it makes it garbage? Another time, my dear, another time.

Romeo x Juliet Review

So during the last Saturday Night Synopsis, I binged-watched the entire Romeo x Juliet series.

Romeo x Juliet is a fantasy romance anime that can be found on two different kissanime sites: on KissAnimeRU, and KissAnimePLUS, in which I would advise against KissAnimePLUS because of their pornographic advertisements...

Anyway, and to be completely honest... I have really mixed feelings about this anime.

Like most Romeo and Juliet variations, it tries to take a new twist on such an old classic, and I'm under the impression they do this because it is an attempt to keep things interesting.

So the question remains... if whether or not they were able to keep things interesting.
In a way? Yes, they were, but from a story-telling perspective and the world they developed, I feel like they fell short in certain areas, which what made the anime (dare I say) mediocre.

I'm not saying they didn't try, because they did, but it was how it was all executed was how it felt so mediocre to me.  Then again, I suppose it's because it's pretty bland in relation to other dramatic fantasy animes, such as Attack on Titan, at least in regard to animation.

Something else too... this was supposed to also be a romance...
Which, I'm really sorry to say... this anime didn't have enough of.
I mean, it's freaking Romeo and Juliet!
I feel like they spent too much on doubling down what was at stake than any real romance on these two, and it stinks that the way they double down on the stakes wasn't always the best in my opinion.
They focus so much on how they were always apart that I don't think they made the most of the opportunity that they had together... but then again, it might be because of the culture at the time that I'm missing that would explain the lack of hugs, or at least the kissing of the hand.

Look, it's really hard for me to explain, but I'll try.
I wanted more than just typical romance between Romeo and Juliet... I wanted to fall in love with the couple so much so that when the end came, I would be pissed at whoever drove them apart, but that's not what happened in this anime.  I didn't feel any of that, and it's because I didn't feel it is exactly why I frown at the results.

As for doubling down on what was at stake... I mean, think about this universe...
There were certain things Juliet, under realistic circumstances, shouldn't have avoided but did.

Anyway, I made a reference to Attack on Titan before: if Romeo x Juliet had a reboot with the same animation, depth and length of milking drama, dark atmosphere and heavily emphasizing what made Romeo and Juliet's romance work, then I would have had a better opinion of this anime, but that's not what happened.

I mean, if you're going to imply from the beginning with the freaking theme song that this anime was going to be a sad one, then you should've at least tried to imply that through the animation too, and not just with the dark color choice.

Then again, Romeo x Juliet was done in 2007, so I suppose I can't be too critical of something made so long ago.

Movie Review: Koe no Katachi

So tonight, I decided to watch a movie.
At first, I was going to see if Endgame was around, but no luck.
So I tried looking for Shazam - no luck there either.
Thus I settled for whatever I could get my hands on, in which I found
Koe no Katachi ( 映画 聲の形 ), or A Silent Voice...
And oh my goodness... I think I cried three times through it all... no less than two for sure. 😂
Sure, it was long in my opinion, but that's just something I've noticed about movies like this - they feel slightly dragged for the sake of the plot they need to cover without going into episodes.

Anywho, without spoiling too much of the movie for you, I can say with confidence that I cried because I related to both main characters here - one in regards to something in their past, and the other their general lack of self-confidence.  Sure, there were things that I wished they elaborated on more, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think that's what the movie was about - it was about something else altogether and they focused on said thing really well, which is why I stayed for the long-haul.

Yes, it is a two hour movie, but I would recommend it anyway -
just make sure you have tissues ready... or something you can cry on/with - whichever. 😂

Your Name ( 君の名は Kimi no Na wa ) Synopsis

Okay, so I first mentioned this on DeviantArt, but I was recommended to watch Your Name ( 君の名は Kimi no Na wa ) and it was okay for a movie.

It wasn't a terrible movie, really it wasn't, I just think that the first thirty minutes were super slow.  Perhaps it was for plot purposes, but it still bugged me a little, you know?

However, I will give it points for the fact that it did make me cry at the end.

All in all, it was a touching story, pretty close to how Ore Monogatari touched me.

My only other complaint is the music. 

The music fit the movie, but in reference to my personal taste, it wasn't the best.

Would I recommend this movie? 

Hands down, yes, but as long as you're okay with the plot taking its time.