Jeoffrey

“It's not about making a harem, It's about FAMILY!” Well, this special family is growing at a really fast rate, perhaps only Dominic Toretto from The Fast and the Furious could manage to do that faster (and more furious). Otherwise, this is a quite likable and sweet comedy that is maybe a bit silly and childish at times, but enjoyable and quite relaxing to watch. There are a lot of likable characters (the main character, Beelzebub), some are adorable (the kids), some are "just" lovely (the sisters) and there is also one slightly dimwitted but entertaining elf. Nothing dramatic happens throughout most of this anime series, problems are mostly dealt with either calmly or entertainingly, and it is no wonder, mainly thanks to Azusa’s strength. I found her strength believable, just like I found the path she took to get to it believable, after all, it is similar to killing boars for five EXPs each in World of Warcraft for a year straight, you would get to that max level eventually, too... What really spoiled my experience of this though, was the occasional and in my opinion unnecessary fanservice, especially in some of the scenes with the Demon King which seemed very weird to me, and the constant focus on Halkar's chest, as if this character was nothing more than a pair of walking boobs (and comic relief), was also pretty cheesy. Halkar and the entire last episode was just a kind of winking at the audience, especially if they are into maids, and a reminder of all the characters that have appeared in this anime series, so for me it would have worked better as an OVA rather than a conclusion. Anyway, in the end, I am more satisfied than annoyed, so I am awarding this anime series a solid three stars. Or 6/10 if you prefer.

The second series felt weaker to me compared to the first, lacking the same level of entertainment and intrigue. While the first half with the romantic triangle, cat gold, and stock market was quite interesting, I found watching Lawrence's confusion at times to be rather painful. I missed the overall lightness and fun that the first season had. The second half, particularly the fur trade, only started to catch my interest in the last two episodes. Until then, it felt like not much was really happening, and what did unfold seemed disjointed. Characters' moods changed abruptly within a single scene, which didn't work well for me. Additionally, I also felt that the ending was somewhat undeserved. Despite these criticisms, the series still boasts cool animation, excellent music, and occasionally brilliantly written dialogues. The chemistry between the central duo when they tease each other remains a highlight. However, this time around, I didn't completely fall under the spell of Spice and Wolf, so I can't give it more than a 7.5/10.

As I was browsing through the anime lineup for Spring 2024 and saw all the promotional materials for the upcoming remake, I suddenly felt an incredible urge to re-watch this series I once loved so much, even though it's been over 15 years since its release. Revisiting the series seemed like a good idea, especially for comparison. I must say, the first season of Spice and Wolf was an absolute delight. The series remains as amazing as I remember it. It's a charming, cleverly written, and highly entertaining show, with a constant chemistry between the central duo. Their teasing, mixed with moments of genuine honesty towards each other, still resonates deeply with me. It's not just the romance and characters that captivated me, but also the intricate world of trading, testing the purity of silver in various coins, smuggling gold, and the shrewdness of merchants, all portrayed realistically and believably. The animation, especially considering it's from 2008, holds up well, and the musical accompaniment is excellent. The use of flutes and violins in the simple yet effective musical motifs perfectly complements each scene. In short, the upcoming Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf will have quite a challenge to live up to because this original version is excellent. The first season still easily earns a 9/10 from me.

"Zazas zazas nasatanada zazas." Just like Christians have their Bible and Satanists have theirs, this series stands tall as the Bible for all "men of culture." So, if you're not a "man of culture," if scenes of a sexual nature in anime make you faint with anger, even the average ecchi and a hand on a breast, then I must say, I don't quite understand what the hell you're doing here! What did I enjoy about this series? Well, definitely the characters - their design and personalities. The plot, particularly in the first season, is intriguing, especially for someone who has played the original video game on which this is based. The series does a commendable job of capturing the atmosphere of the game. The sexual scenes here are also quite well-handled, numerous, and imaginative. There's likely something here for every "man of culture," though there are parts that might not sit right with everyone due to the various strange fetishes the Japanese are known for... Now, what are my gripes? Mainly, that no other series, including the New Testament, quite reaches the quality of the first season. If I had to break it down, we've got an 8/10 for the first season, 6/10 for Origins, 6/10 for New Testament, and 5.5/10 for Only. In conclusion? Black Bible was, like many other similarly themed series, a part of my youth (or when I was still 25...). It stands among the best of what I've seen from hentai, and surprisingly, time hasn't taken its toll on it yet. It's porn, it's explicit, it's ADULT entertainment! Criticizing porn for having a lot of sex is akin to shouting in the forest that there's too much wood... So, a 7/10 for all the seasons combined.

Basically, I'll write what I shared with a friend in an email yesterday when he asked me about this series. To me, it's straight down the middle - a 5/10 (within the hentai genre), mainly because I've seen far worse in animated pornography. Despite the terrible animation outside of the sex scenes, I do appreciate the character designs and the story, at least to some extent. There are moments here that are somewhat interesting too; I found the idea with the hitman, the cursed gun, and the exchange of briefcases intriguing. When it comes to the quality and explicitness of the acts themselves, it actually suits my tastes quite well. I've seen worse ones, even in five-minute clips, which are often just a loop of two or three sequences and positions. Here, it feels like someone actually put some effort in (unlike the rest of the scenes). Unlike some of my peers, this series didn't exactly thrill me, but it didn't offend me either. However, it's clear that it doesn't quite reach the above-average quality of other adaptations of similar games (like Bible Black or Discipline: Record of a Crusade).

The first half of this season was undeniably weaker; not much seemed to unfold in the initial six episodes. The main hero was in the spotlight, poking fun at everyone around him, racking up points for all the negative emotions thanks to his skills. If the great action scene from the first season hadn't been mentioned right at the beginning, I might have found myself wondering what exactly made this series stand out, besides the humor. Thankfully, the second half brought back the exploration of ruins, this time in the form of a treacherous jungle teeming with dangerous flora and fauna hungry for blood. And, of course, some foreign spies have infiltrated the ranks of the local adventurers, needing to be stopped for the greater good of the country (yes, it's a Chinese series…). So, we finally get a lot of fights, where fantastic shots and sequences often alternate with others that show that Chinese animators still have some room for improvement. Despite this, the fights are usually a joy to watch - colorful, powerful, and fast-paced, though sometimes a bit chaotic (especially the final fight with a certain red spirit). However, this doesn't really detract from the overall impression; I simply enjoyed the action. Once again, the music was flawless - well-chosen and striking. It perfectly enhanced the atmosphere and elevated the experience. Most of the jokes also landed for me, though some were pretty silly. Often, I found myself just enjoying the hero's antics at the expense of other characters, but it was clear that the writers had a sense of humor and enjoyed crafting the dialogue. So, what would I criticize about the series? I wasn't completely captivated by its story. I just didn't have that sense of curiosity about what would happen next. Similarly, in terms of emotions, it only worked partially for me. Although I did begin to appreciate the nice sibling dynamic between the central duo, that was about the extent of it. There weren't many moments that elicited strong emotions from me. In the end, the second season managed to entertain me, perhaps even a bit more than the first one, but mainly thanks to its second half. 6.9/10

The mightiest Chinese cultivator is back, but if not for the final few episodes, this season would have been dull and forgettable. The storyline was average at most this time around, with the villains, except for the last two, lacking any real impact. It seemed the sole purpose was to showcase once again how effortlessly the main hero takes them down, which unfortunately translated to a rather tedious viewing experience. The usual fun pop culture references fell flat for me this time, except for the Dragon Ball fusion between the main hero and heroine, followed by their ensuing battle. The final impression was largely saved by the last two fights, particularly the one with the fusion and the final "showdown of two brothers". These moments demonstrated that the series still excels in fight scenes, offering creativity and a visual spectacle filled with vibrant effects, all supported by solid and well-suited music. In summary, only the last three episodes truly stood out to me; the rest felt kind of "meh". Overall, neither this season nor the previous one deserves more than a 5.5/10 from me.

This Chinese anime series gets more right than it gets wrong, and I quite enjoyed it. The setting initially struck me as a kind of strange Chinese version of X-men (a world where people with supernatural abilities appear and a society that somehow reacts to them). However, the anime series then moves more into the realm of fantasy (ransacking ruins, the undead, etc.). Lu Shu is a good enough character, though I am beginning to notice that the Chinese seem to prefer their male protagonists to be a bit of bastards (like in King's Avatar, Hitori no Shita: The Outcast, etc.), as Lu Shu makes fun of everyone around him. However, I do not see the problem as long as he is entertaining and this gives him a touch of some originality. Plus, the comedy aspect is good, benefiting from the rather interesting and funny premise of leveling by collecting points for the negative emotions Lu Shu evokes in others. In fact, you could say that the whole concept of how the protagonist's abilities work in general is quite original. I almost thought it was set up as a special RPG mechanic (perks, special items) with the minor addition of a Wheel of Fortune Lootbox. Apart from the main protagonist, there are a few other interesting characters I would like to know more about. The OP classmate, the not so OP classmate, the new school principal, the master swordsman, the protagonist's sister, etc., give me some positive motivation and inspire curiosity regarding the second season. I have to include the animation with the soundtrack among the high points. The standard of Chinese anime shows has been going up a lot in the last few years with the quality of animation that can match many Japanese studios. The Chinese animators are good at creating smooth fight scenes and some special effects and backgrounds, although, occasionally, they require some help from CGI. The soundtrack is also very good, especially the opening, and the ending was good too. Now for the things that did not work for me. First of all, the emotional aspect. A part of one episode is supposed to show the depth of the characters’ relationship and their history with each other, with some pretty appropriate music in the background, yet it still conveyed no emotion. In general, this anime series felt quite empty and did not elicit any deeper emotional response most of the time except perhaps at the very end. Another thing that I think could have been handled better is the pacing of the narrative. I found the beginning to be unnecessarily fast, while the second half set in the ruins dragged on too much for my taste. Anyway, to sum it all up, the first series of Spare Me, Great Lord!  is pretty good. I am curious to see the follow-up season, and whether the anime’s creators can keep my attention, plus, where it goes from here. 6.8/10.

The creators could not have come up with a more confusing Great Pretender sequel. Is it a movie? A series? A sequel, spin-off, or just a loose continuation? And what about Dorothy's story? Will it continue, or are we left hanging? There are so many new questions without answers yet. From what I've seen, I was hoping for something much better – more intriguing, funnier, and better planned out. I was especially looking forward to the original group having a significant impact on the plot, but they're basically just there as a cameo. Instead, we're primarily following Dorothy's romantic and life struggles with amnesia, which will end as ambiguously as they started. The plot revolving around the mafia, constant chasing, betrayals, and more left me feeling confused and underwhelmed. It just didn't capture the same excitement as the previous season. I didn't get that thrill of everything being intertwined, nor the satisfaction of it all unraveling. Even the new characters like Dorothy, Jei, and his buddy didn't quite click with me. However, it wasn't all for naught. The animation and music in Razbliuto are nothing to scoff at. Despite the weaker story, it was still easy to watch and enjoy the mafia environment they created. For me, it's slightly above average. 5.5/10

I was expecting a disaster of gigantic proportions because taking a well-known brand like Sword Art Online (SAO) and making something like a spin-off is taking a huge risk. Of course, you are going to get a lot of attention, that is unavoidable but it is still a gamble. There are going to be a lot of comparisons to the original SAO anime series, something that in this case is still a phenomenon with a huge hardcore fan base, and that is when it could possibly stop being fun. There will be those who are going to award it five stars just because it has SAO in the title and there will be those who are not even going to award it even one star just because it is not the SAO they love or expected, that much is clear. For many people the absence of Kirito or anyone from his entourage will be sad, others may be angry, even though that is also to be expected. However, how does this affect what Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is like? I should be focusing on that and not just stating the generally bleedingly obvious facts... Personally speaking, even though I was not extremely impressed with SAO including the world of Gun Gale Online (GGO), as I would not necessarily seek out "a firefight" (I prefer close combat, with swords, etc...), I still think this is a very entertaining and refreshing show, and I really liked the distinctive characters. I have to admit that I liked Llenn and Pitohui immensely. Their interactions and rivalry were good, and I also enjoyed what they were like as individuals. Llenn is the epitome of a cute little Lolita in a pink outfit, whose determination, effort, and mad skills simply put a smile on my face. I thought that Pitohui is a perfectly portrayed incredibly attractive and over-the-top psychopath. It is as if a cute Lolita and the female version of Hisoka joined forces for one anime series, and competed with each other in a suspenseful "madman attempting to catch a madman" atmosphere. I enjoyed that and also the ending, I almost wanted to shout at the top of my lungs - “now bite her head off!!!” OK, there is something wrong with me, and I was never well, and that is why I was so pleased with this show despite it having some significant shortcomings. For example, I did not find the world outside the GGO game very attractive, and I was not that interested in the characters when they were outside the game in real life. Also, I would overlook the talking P-Chan. However, despite myself, screw it, I am going to declare this anime series a success, and which I think is comparable to the first part of the original SAO anime series, and reward it with four stars. I am also going to mention that the 3HZ animation studio really does know how to create anime series that I, personally, have always enjoyed, and that I am now looking forward to what they come up with next... 8/10.