Patema Inverted Review

Story:
Patema lives in a world years after an experimental failure at controlling gravity caused much of the earth to float away into the sky, never to return. Wishing to explore more of her small underground world, Patema ignores the advice of her elders and ventures deeper into the tunnels where gravity seems to be reversed…

Violence:
A few characters are injured and some killed. Near the end we see quite a lot of blood from a few gun and knife wounds. Not quite as bad as FMA, but still not for younger audiences.

Language:
Some d-mns and one or two b-words, but nothing excessive.

Nudity:
There is a villain who makes some rather suggestive remarks towards the lead, but nothing is shown or occurs (besides being creepy).

Theology/mythology:
The people in one of the “worlds” consider those who’s gravity is reversed to be “sinners” and that they deserve to float into the sky and die as it is divine punishment from God. This belief keeps many people in line with the government and is a plot point, so it can’t be easily ignored.

Personal impression:
I really liked this film. It’s one of the better science fiction films I’ve seen in awhile, not just in the realm of anime but in general. While the story itself isn’t overly complex, the way it is presented cinematically is amazing (although, the switching of the camera angle between gravitational pulls can be very disorienting so be warned on that).
The characters are well crafted and although we only have one film to get to know them, we are given enough context and dialog to get a sense of what drives them and what they fear. The two leads also have a pretty organic relationship, which is nice amidst all the rushed ones rampant in more recent films.
The plot twists are pretty solid as well and make for a pretty impactful ending.
If you want to take a break from TV series for a bit, I recommend looking into your local library or digging around Amazon for this one. Even if science fiction isn’t your usual go-to, this is well worth a watch.

Personal rating: Young adult

Episodes: Movie
Languages: sub and dub
Official rating: TV14
Genres: Action, fantasy, science fiction, drama
Studio: Studio Rikka
Company: Cinedigm, GKids
Official streaming: n/a

My Hero Academia Review

[This review covers seasons 1-3]

Story:
Izuku Midoriya is one of very few children born without a “quirk,” special abilities nearly every human on the planet has. Because of this, his dream of becoming a professional hero is just not in the cards. At least that’s what he fears until running into his idol, pro hero All Might.

Violence:
This is a typical shounen show violence wise. So blood, broken bones and bruises occur a lot. Especially with our lead, who gets into dangerous and harmful scenarios a lot. If Fullmetal Alchemist violence bugs you, this might not be the show for you.

Language:
D-mn is the most common, but a few sh-ts and b-words. Almost all instances come from one ever angry character. I haven’t noticed the dub being worse than the original so it all comes down to how many lines that one character has in the episode. When he doesn’t say much, the language is pretty tame, but in episodes heavily featuring him it can spike a bit.

Nudity:
This really comes down to the costumes primarily. A few female characters have suggestive and very tight hero outfits. One common character has a v cut all the way to her waist. While the show attempts to address the practicality of these outfits (some quirks relay on skin contact, for example) the show does take advantage of these moments for some fanservice shots. They are aren’t very common, considering how many characters have outfits ripe for it, but it does happen now and again. There is also a spa scene in season three where the girls are covered by nothing besides, well, mist. It’s a very quick scene, thankfully.

Theology/mythology:
Aside from ideals about justice and heroism, nothing to note here. Religion has not really come into play at all thus far.

Personal impression:
When I first tried this show out, it was already just starting the third season’s stream. I was shocked with how much I enjoyed it, especially considering the genre it is, which isn’t known to have stable character progression. But not only is there some stable world building, but the characters, from the leads to the supporting cast, have all had amazing arcs and growth over time.
There’s a lot to like about this show, from the brisk pace to the enjoyable characters to the interesting world that seems simple at first but quickly fleshes out to a more complex setting that forces the themes of what it is to be a hero into the spotlight frequently. There are pitfalls in the story, but its one of the tighter shounen shows I’ve seen in a long time. Which makes sense considering studio Bones is behind this title and they have a lot of experience in taking a running manga and both faithfully adapting it to the screen while also cleaning up scenes to flow smoother into the overall narrative.
There’s a bit too much to unpack in only a short overview, but suffice to say that I’m really looking forward to the next season due out this fall.
If you love superhero media, but wish it was fun once again and not just angst for adults (looking at BOTH of you, Marvel and DC), give this show a go!

Personal rating: Young adult

Episodes: 63
Languages: sub and dub
Official rating: TV14
Genres: Action
Studio: Bones
Company: FUNimation
Official streaming: Crunchyroll and FUNimation

 

 

Major Update! Site location changing soon!

It’s been a long time coming but I’ve finally got a new computer and with it: site updates! Considering I haven’t done a site overhaul since 2017 or so, this was long overdue. At first I was only going to update the overall look, but after a lot of thought I’ve decided to change the site name as well. The old look and mood was clashing with what I had created and since I myself have grown overtime, it’s only natural this space would grow with me.
The new site will still be wordpress and as you can see in my banner, it will be What’s In My Anime? or WIMA for short. I feel like this is both to the point and far more in line with what I’ve created here over the years.
Until the change becomes permanent (in about a week) I can’t say what the location will be for sure. So please subscribe for email updates or follow my main blog In Rose Galaxy to be notified.

Thank you all for your support (especially during my long absences) and I look forward to updating both the site and giving you guys a run down on the shows I’ve been enjoying this last year!

Place to Place Review

Story:
Tsumiki and Lo are in love with each other but too shy to admit it. As they spend their high school days with their friends, they slowly grow closer…

Violence:
Slap stick is as serious as it ever gets in this show, this does mean we see some blood from “injuries,” but it is always in a comedic fashion and never taken seriously.

Language:
Nothing worst than a few d-mns and a shit or two. It’s very uncommon though.

Nudity:
We really don’t get much of this thankfully, besides some comedic flashes referencing some cliche romance scenarios. No details are shown.

Theology/mythology:
Aside from the usual shrine visits, we don’t have anything going on in this section.

Personal impression:
Another very cute and wonderfully healthy relationship on screen! This was a series I actually didn’t hear about when it first aired, a shame as it’s cute, sweet and comedic. The music, visuals and characters all work together to keep thing extremely light and sugary.
We even got character growth by the end, though it’s very tame and slow. Then again, that’s perhaps more fitting to the age group than most shows these days. It’s a really nice romance and I wish we got more of these and less of the usual drama one-trick-ponies. Then again, our teeth might rot out of our heads if that were to happen….

Personal rating: 10+

Episodes: 12
Language: Sub
Official rating: TV14
Genre: Slice of life, romance, comedy
Studio: AIC
Company: Sentai Filmworks
Official streaming: Yahoo View 

 

 

This Boy is a Professional Wizard Review

Story:
Chiharu is a wizard who works himself near to death, unable to trust those around him to help and believing he isn’t worth anything without his abilities in magic. When he runs into a traveler named Toyohi at a local bar, he begins to finally smile and even fall in love. If only his insecurity would allow him to trust…

Violence:
Pretty low stuff. We hear about things going wrong off screen, requiring wizards to interfere and save others, but we never see any actual violence occur.

Language:
A bit of negative self-talk and maybe a d-amn, but tame overall.

Nudity:
There is an almost implication of two characters sleeping together, but it turns into nothing and we don’t really see much besides a bit of bare chest. No details.

Theology/mythology:
If the idea of a world where magic exists bugs you, this isn’t a show for you. But if you’re chill with that, there’s really nothing deeper going on in this section.

Personal impression:
This is a wonderful, although sadly short, series. The animation style is very odd, moving more like a visual novel with swirling backgrounds. The story, tone and colors are nice enough to make up for it and it was refreshing to see one more healthy and somewhat natural relationship on screen.
The only downside? This is more of a mini-series, likely meant to promo a manga run. It’s a shame more of this won’t be seen on screen, or in a more fully animated format. Even so, it’s a great little story, sweet, to the point and lovely to look at.

Personal rating: All ages

Episodes: 4
Languages: sub
Official rating: TV14
Genre: Romance, fantasy
Studio: CoMix Wave Films
Company: CoMix Wave Films
Official streaming: Crunchyroll

How to Keep a Mummy Review

Story:
Sora lives alone, his father having gone on yet another research trip. And per tradition, Sora soon gets one of his father’s surprise “gifts” in the mail. Terrified it’s another cursed item, especially as it’s in a coffin, he prepares for the worst only to find a tiny little mummy inside! A mummy that very much wants to stay with Sora permanently.

Violence:
In a few flash backs we see one character with slashed arms. Blood is shown though not overly focused on or seen more than a handful of times. There is the threat of some mythical creatures being very dangers to humans, even threatening to kill them. We never see this happen however.

Language:
There are some instances of d-mn and sh-t, but it’s not too common. One instance of the b-word occurs.

Nudity:
Some bath scenes with Sora are seen, but no details are shown and it’s not in a sexual light.

Theology/mythology:
This show contains all manner of both Japanese and western mythologies, with a few from the middle east thrown in (although it’s hilarious to note that the non-Japanese creatures tend to have their backgrounds mixed up quite a lot with various other tales. The mummy comes to Sora in a western style coffin, complete with Christian cross).

Personal impression:
This is defiantly one of those cute for the sake of being cute shows. Think of Hamtaro, but with more of an emphasis on the human characters interacting with the cute creatures than the creatures interacting with each other. It was ok for what it was, there was even some decent character development for a few of the leads, specifically the lead and his childhood friend. That said, there’s really not much substance to this one. And the last few episodes feel like the screenwriter suddenly decided to make their human characters x-men rip offs (one character climbs up a sheer cliff with his bare hands out of no where).
If you want cute fluff, this show will deliver. It even has a small amount of characters facing unspoken fears and growing a bit. Just not a lot.

Personal rating: 10+

Episodes: 12
Languages: sub
Official rating: TV14
Genres: Supernatural, slice of life
Studio: 8-Bit
Company: TBS
Official streaming: crunchyroll