So I watched: Netflix's Shadow and Bone

TL;DR: 4.5/5 -> Refer to my Artistic Scale

Based on the Books of the Same name by Author: Leigh Bardugo

Russia Ravka is at war with multiple countries. 

There are Magical people in this world known as Grisha and Russia has plenty of em.

Plus there is a whole Deadzone known as the Fold that has split the country in half.

Facing war, the fold and general inequality (Racism) in life

Our protags are thrust into the center of events with one being a prophesised savior and the other her best friend.

On the other hand we have a rag tag bunch of misfits trying to make a living and an unlikely couple of a Grisha and a Fjerden (basically Vikings) trying to overcome their differences despite being from different worlds.

This is a world of magic, malice, and might. Prophecies, Prophets and Profit.

All with a very 18th Century theme to it.

Very enjoyable, very interesting and quite captivating.

4.5/5 -> Refer to my Artistic Scale

1: The nation of Dravka, the concept of Grisha's, The fold. Everything is extremely intriguing. The layer of magic intermixed with a very realistic setting is very interesting to say the least.

The show does a good job of not doing an exposition dump and allowing us to learn about the world through our main characters. Its a perfect example of "Show don't tell"

2: It was quite entertaining. 

I found myself rooting for our Protag Mal, and while Alina has all the ingredients to be a Mary Sue: Godlike Powers and an infallible character unable to do wrong with a spicy love triangle added to it.

I am pleasantly surprised she isn't one. She is imperfect, she has her flaws, she has outbursts, she makes mistakes with consequences and most of all: She has a personality that helps you understand that she is a person who exists outside her powers and the plot, heck the 1st 3 eps have her made as a powerless normal girl trying to survive. 

An Excellent take which alot of shows and movies run into a problem with when dealing with a strong female lead. >looking at you star wars

3: I would recommend this being a History nut, a Magic Enthusiast and generally because the writing and characters are solid and the entire series is an amazing adaption. 

I would legit love to go read the OG source material for this.

4: There is an overarching plot and a rising set of stakes that escalate as the plot goes on.

Plus the frequent callback to past events makes this series worthwhile to rewatch. Some of the conspiracies were there from the start and some of the odd actions are re-contexualized which makes reveals and plot twists more natural as opposed to forced retcons.

5:

Not a masterpiece

There were moments in the show, small albeit, that I felt were forced or contrived. While the whole thing makes sense and its all stable overall, those small small things put you off.

By far the biggest gripe I have with the show is the acting of Amita Suman, the actress of Anej.

While I understand I cannot demand perfection but continuously I felt a disconnect between what the character is described as versus the actor acting her out down to the delivery of the lines.

Anej is an assassin who is religious and has a code to not kill, yet she is trained in the assassin arts.

This duality plays deep into her character and sets up for the obvious situation where her belief is tested against what she holds dear. 

Sadly it did not feel genuine, a good parallel to draw is Batman. Batman does not kill, yet he was trained by Ra's Al Ghul as an assassin plus he has plenty of firepower to make it happen. Yet Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy nails his character by a geniune show throw his constant brooding nature as well as hesitation when it comes to killing. Down to the fact that while Batman can snap a thugs neck in a heartbeat, instead he resorts to fracturing their arms and knocking their teeth in. He can't kill them but anything short of it is fair game.

Her Anej has a strong belief on not killing and is a trained assassin. Don't get me wrong, her character is written very well. It's my chagrin that the actress playing her doesn't make the cut.

Amita Suman in every combat situation makes it look like she is hitting to kill, like a Knife jab to the throat. 

Yet luckily the enemy never seems to die. 

It makes me wonder if her opponent was ever any less competent, they would get stabbed in the throat by her accidently and Anej would have inadvertently killed someone despite their belief of not doing so. 

Now you can argue that heat of moment situation or that Anej is inexperienced and I can't expect her to be Batman but then Garret from the Thief series is another perfect example. 

Garret says that Killing is the mark of an amateur yet he resorts to killing when there is no other choice. It is not a perfect doctrine yet he strives his best to explore all other available options.

Black jack knock outs, blinding, sneaking etc. Only as a last resort does he resort to actually killing the target since he is a master thief.

Therefore it is not a stretch to ask that Anej who's core tenants in life demand her not to kill would not show any modicum of restraint against others.

Other that that, the delivery of her lines feel too rapid. Like the time she is mourning over her parents fate, she blurts out lines like she is on the clock yet you would expect some level of silence and softness while speaking when they are mourning or digesting a situation.

I am sure she will get better in future, but her acting so far has damaged the adaption of Anej. 

Therefore, reasons like this render me unable to call this show a Masterpiece.

Shadow and Bone thus is docked at 4.5/5 

Which is a pretty decent score all things considered, 5 is what I consider Perfection so its just shy of perfection. Everything above 5 is awarded as a Hall of Fame award so there is that.

Updated Artistic Scale

 Firstly, yes It has been an year. The last post is from a time before COVID

Truly Ancient History

In any case, I post whenever I feel like it. Though I will strive to improve my frequency.

Anyway, an update to the Artistic Scale. After having watched around 300 anime titles by now, my taste as well as understanding developed and as such the Measure of Quality must also be updated along with it.

Previously there was a 5 star system with a 6 star band for the truly exceptional. That remains the same, except The Star rating goes up to a maximum of 8 stars, no exceptions. So for refresher, I will define what each star rating means.

1 star = EITHER Entertaining OR Artistic

Like before, 1 star is essentially the statement "I was able to watch it to the end without dropping" and there are 2 possible reasons why

1: It was mindless entertainment, something to shut off your brain with and just enjoy.  Examples: Dororo, Pop Team Epic & Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism (I kid you not, this is a show about a guy who beats up girls to induct them into his harem)

2: It was novel, artistic, it did something new for its time that you can remember it by. Examples: Neon Genesis Evangellion, Akudama Drive (This anime is alot of things, Coherent isn't one but it was a fun concept nonetheless. A sort of Suicide Squad if you may), Quan Zhi Gao Shou (This one is an anime about E-Sports go figure)

2 star = Entertaining AND Artistic

Read: Guilty Pleasure 

This has more to do with the 3 star band, 2 stars were anime that were fun and novel but aren't something you would tell others to watch for any reason. Mostly if it is cringe, disturbing, perverted or something you enjoyed simply because it catered to your tastes. Examples: K-on, Blend S, Domestic no Kanojo (Yea, I am shirking my Dignity to give these examples xD )

3 star = Would recommend to others

Inclusive of everything that comes before, this show was Artistic, Entertaining and you have no qualms about recommending it to other people. This is where majority of Shows usually end up, the generic normal shows or just plain medicore. They weren't bad but nothing that good either. Don't get me wrong, it isn't an insult it means that this show has escape the trench of being trash and is among the ranks of decent media that are worth ones time, just nothing exceptional.

Examples: SAO Alternative GGO, Hanebado, Joker Game, Overlord, Death Parade

4 star = Rewatch Value

A show with a relevant overarching plot that is slowly built up over episodes until its final delivery at the climax. Such that if you ever happened to watch this show again, the anticipation remains and one can actively notice things that they didn't notice during their first watch.

Examples: Jojo's Bizzare Adventure: All of them (This is important since Jojo has been the only anime with multiple instalments that have all ended up consistently good as well as being easily rewatchable)

5 star = Perfect, Can't think of anything better

Often when watching shows you might feel there was something amiss, or perhaps something too rushed or just not right that feeling is valid and the way I identify it is by asking the question "Could this be done better?" Making a coherent narrative is by no means an easy task. Many writers even most prominent ones run into the issues of Plotholes and Inconsistencies which would be too breaking or too boring to address, hence why Retcons exist to keep things fresh but it can certainl feel jarring.

Anime which do not run into these issues, a Perfect Run as you may. If you felt there was no forseeable way that this anime could have been done better or rather you cannot find any sizeable fault. Then it stands tall among the ranks of the Perfect.

Example: Fate Zero, Initial D, Goblin Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer, Kara no Kyoukai: Garden of Sinners

6 star = Masterpiece

At its core, art is a manifestation of emotion. It is a form of how man expresses themselves. Art has many mediums, from Still Life to Dance to Music to Theatre and even Animation along with everything else in between. Among these expressions of Art, are such sublime pieces of Work that evokes Emotion even in the hearts of a stranger seeing it for the first time. Anime is no exception, while it is an entertainment medium it isn't exclusively for entertainment. Just as how Drawing isn't exclusive for Comics. An anime that can draw out Emotional Reactions, and intense feelings of Hope, Love, Gratitude, Relief, Pathos, Sadness, and Joy. Such an anime deserves to be called a 'Masterpiece' 

It may be a long running title like One Piece and Gintama with its ups and downs, Episodic pieces like Cowboy Beebop, Seasonal Installments like My Hero Academia S4 or even 12 episode hitters like Dr Stone S1 and especially well done titles like Cells at Work: Code Black

A Piece that inspires emotion, is truly a work of art and should be cherished for they are truly marvels

7 star = Masterpiece ++

Carrying on the spirit of the last star band, this set of Masterpieces went above and beyond all Expectation. Setting new heights and standards for all other Mediums of Art to aspire to. These anime do not arouse a single emotion, but a multitude and perhaps several times over within the same instalment. These pieces are often steeped in immense Ideologue, have absolutely Solid Characters that could breathe life into a Vacuum and a Narrative with a Strength that rivals Titans. Such a solid piece of art that is truly the pinnacle of achievement.

Examples: 3-gatsu no lion, Steins;Gate, Haikyuu and Vinland Saga

8 star = GOAT(Greatest of All Time)

A pinnacle of achievement and a Masterpiece already, the last extra icing on the top is if this anime even caters to the exact preferences you had. 

In my case, I am a sucker for Well Defined Magic Systems (Magic Systems that obey Sanderson's 3 Laws of Magic with extreme vigour) as well as Historical Themes and Ideologue. 

Pieces of Media that have shaped me as a person were those that made me Question and come to Realizations,  They were examples to strive for and ofcourse it is my personal Belief that History is of the greatest importance to Man. Mankind has atleast 12,000 Years of History and we barely know any of it from before 4000 years of now (Before Egypt) and the problems we face today such as: How do we live together with different people, the Question of Governance, Corruption, Faith and what not. All these questions our ancestors faced, and in 12,000 years of continued Human Existence many answers to those questions were tested. By learning what our ancestors did, we can avoid repeating mistakes and learn to be better as we build on our successes. Therefore, any anime that lays an emphasis on History instantly becomes a favourite of mine. If there was a Masterpiece that also pulled this off, then surely I would call it the Greatest of All Time.

As of now, there has been only 1 Title to be crowned this honor.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

That is it for my Artistic Scale, hope you find it useful in rating your own pieces and for any future pieces I review myself.

There are several things I should mention tho,

Every star band has a High (H) and Low (L) rating, this is meant to distinguish between Pieces in the same Star Tier. 

High can imply it barely missed the next Star ranking or that this piece is comfortably sitting in this tier. 

Low can imply that this title barely made it to this tier or that it sits a bit behind the other pieces in the same tier.

High is denoted by a .5 while Low are Whole Numbers.

Example: 4 High = 4.5 ; 3 Low = 3

Furthermore are as follows:

BIAS = Anime that are unable to be fairly judged (For me its Gintama and Carnival Phantasm)

0 Star = Dropped Anime

X Rank = Not my thing (Anime that you do not approve of for personal reasons, for me it would be Banana Fish. It may or may not be good, but my perception is coloured against it due to Homosexual Themes which I do not approve of)

So I Watched Cowboy Beebop

Everyone has a place where they belong..

                                                            Someplace they return to..

                                                            That comes with a Weighty Burden..

Everyone has their own Weight to pull..

                                                You're Gonna Carry That Weight... 

5.5/5 = Perfection that was executed beautifully.

There is quite literally, nothing else like it.

The plot is straight forward, In a futuristic world where Humans are spread across space. Our tale takes place on the Beebop, a ship were 2 Bounty Hunters are on. Jet and Spike. They chase down fugitives, terrorists, hackers and criminals of all sorts. On their travels they meet and welcome aboard 3 new mates. Ein, Faye and Ed.

The anime that spawned its own genre, Cowboy Beebop

1+2: Entertaining and Artistic= The show is episodic, meaning each episode is self contained. The only thing that carries forward are the world and the characters, thus each episode can be enjoyed on its own merit. It has plenty of action, comedy, suspense and stuff that keeps you interested and hooked. At the same time,

Its episodic nature can be a huge no for many people nowadays since we are used to binging our stuff. I argue that its a good thing that this isn't so easily binged. 

Every episode is like a 24 minute movie. You have the plot introduced with a hook, the complication is then addressed using the cast of characters the episode wants:

Jet, Spike, Faye and Ed or any combination of them. It proceeds to build up until the Climax, in a big Conclusion the episode ends leaving us enough to be satisfied and enough to ponder. This makes it excellent to savour every episode.

3 = I recommend this to everyone, you can be the I like edgy action stuff or the romance slice of life person. Doesn't matter, Cowboy Beebop is quite literally its own thing. It has been 2 decades since this anime first came to be, and no other show has done anything like this. It is quite literally One of Its Kind therefore, I recommend everyone to check it out, give it the 3 episode test. I am certain you will not be disappointed.

4 = Rewatch? YES 

The show is episodic and for the most part you feel there is no overarching theme or plot that is being addressed, so you will be content to watch and leave it once. To be fair, I thought the exact same thing until the final episode.

When everything that was building up behind the scenes, under your notice, it all comes together. In a near flawless parallel being drawn where everything quite literally comes full circle. The moment of absolute awe dawns on you. 

I will divulge nothing, but let's just say. 

Spike at the start is someone who has faked his death and cares little for the past,

Jet life his life still marred by his Past as a Police Officer who was happily married until his Wife mysteriously left him one day. He learns to deal with it and move on, carrying the burden of where he belonged with him.

Faye has a huge debt on her shoulders, literally and figuratively for she has no memories of her past besides the fact she was awoken in a Cryogenic Facility. A woman out of her time, she is constantly running away and hoping to find a clue to her past and who she was so she may finally find a place to return to.

Ed, is a nomad. Going wherever they please and do whatever they please. Whatever is most entertaining and what sits well with them. 

Over the course of this Anime, everything will develop into full circle.

5 = Perfection?

My definition for perfection is: Could it be done any better?

To which My answer is most definitely Definitely not.

The Final episode, the anime was more than justified to make it a cookie cutter plot that everyone expects.

Beebop doesn't do it the way you would think.

It satisfied exactly what I wanted out of it, in subversion not in wish fulfilment, and then delivered on its premise with a narrative conclusion that should be considered AN EXEMPLAR CASE OF HOW TO END AN ANIME 

looking at you Evangelion.

In summary, Cowboy Beebop took me 3 months to finish. Yet I don't regret it at all. I am glad I didn't binge it all, this was truly something special. If you binge the 26 episodes of 24 minutes each where 4 minutes is OP and ED then thats basically 520 minutes.

Watching it over the course of 3 months, I felt somewhat attached to the crew. Like Its not like your usual anime that things are exactly where you left them last time and now you have to remember what happened and how it got there.

Instead, between each episode: Time passes, the world moves on. That is life.

This disconnect made me feel much more at home. The Beebop became a familiar place, so while I saw all the new characters and villains and plots and adventures. At the end (and start) of it all was definitely the Beebop.

None of the characters betray their personalities, and there is no development that is contrary to belief.

It all is and always was, that's just how it is.

I give it a High 5 rating 

not a 6 because I didn't feel that shine you get or the polished feeling you get from an anime. Perhaps something memorable, or maybe a character so good you can make the anime about the character and they world will mold itself to fit the narrative. 

Its not the second coming of Christ, and neither is it something you should discard or just watch once and leave.

Cowboy Beebop is a journey, one that everyone should experience for themselves and see how it is. 

So I Watched Dororo

Hello prospective readers!

Sorry for the insanely huge time in between updates. Ever since the COVID Crsis sprung up, Everyone including Myself were caught up in a huge mess.

Academics went online, Survival took precedence, New Routines were set up, I got my arms busted and had to get Physiotherapy. All this in March.

Took me until April to get anything sorted and then I was grievously behind on my Academics,

So Updates to the Blog took little to no Priority sadly.

Usually here I would give my take on an anime in full depth and detail. 

However Im afraid Dororo does not Justify with its Quality the amount of Time I spent watching and analyzing it.

Tl;Dr

1/5 or 2/10 

depending on how you want your rating 

Again, refer to my Aristic Scale

I won't go into too much depth,

I would like to thank MAL User: RebelPanda

For his spot on Review of what I thought about Dororo as well,

He gives it a 5/10 which would be the same as my 1/5 since for me Anything below 5/10 on MAL would have been dropped.

You can see his entire review at length here:

https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=311204

As for my piece:

A Gross Simplifcation:

Japan during the Samurai Era, just before the Warring States/Sengoku Jidai Period

A Realm Lord is at his wits end with his domains end imminent.

War, Famine, Disease and all matter of Catastrophe has fallen to his Land,

In his desperation, he feeds his firstborn Son to the Demons to Seal a Pact that would guarantee the Prosperity of his Land.

The bargain was struck and the Demons fed on the Firstborn, but due to the Goddess of Mercy Intervening, he was spared at Deaths Door, having none of his body except his head.

The Child against all odds Survives and grows up with Prosthetics, while the Lords Realm Prospered on his Sacrifice.

All grown up, he discovers the truth of his plight and that he needs to kill the Demons that robbed from him to get back his body.

But at what cost?

Enjoyable / Artistic: 1/5 -> The first 2 points are for Enjoyment and Artistic, so being 1/5 means it was either only enjoyable and had 0 artistic value, or it was a work of art in a sense it does something unique and novel but not enjoyable to watch.

Or it can be a mix of the two.

I would say Dororo sits at around 50% Enjoyable and 50% Artistic to a total of 1/2 of the possible points.

 I sat through it all, It was great amazing and brimming with energy at the start but towards the 12th Episode Mark it began to go downhill.

I was about to drop it at around the 15th Episode but I persisted simply due to the merit of characterization that Dororo recieved 

It has mature themes, it has an interesting take, it has good characterization, It has promising themes, it has an overarching theme and plot.

But that's the problem

IT HAS IT

Like Cavemen sitting on a well of Oil, it has it but it didn't develop it. 

Think of the worlds greatest Oil Reserve, it can be the basis of Trillion Dollar Industry, but because a Bunch of Cavemen have it the Potential is wasted since they don't know what to do.

The Enjoyable part is the Cavemen learning they can use it to color each other black, use it to slip each other, as a Lubricant for reasons or to Ignite it and burn each other.

That would sum it up, it was entertaining but it got old really really fast

And it hurts even more when you know just how much potential it has that is being wasted.

So that is my take on Dororo.

Oh and btw, Dororo is a Girl.

And if you are gonna be Patient enough to see her Grow up, ill save you the trouble (Last 3 minutes of the final Episode)

Have a nice day!

So I watched My Hero Academia S4

The Anime: Boku no Hero Academia meets its 4th Seasonal Installment



For Manga Readers:
This Season covers the after math of what happened from Season 3 and ends with the Birth of something new. It also mainly focuses on OVERHAUL and Eri Chan, as well as the Grey area of Hero Society and the UA School Festival.

TL;dr: 5.5/6
Yet another Masterpiece I know. Its just my opinion but the Ending and Opening didn't have me interested hence the last missing point. Otherwise the Show Overcompensates for every other fault in the grandest way possibly.


Finally the Review:
You may recall I gave 5.5/6 -> Kindly refer to my Artistic Scale if you are confused

Note: BNHA has been, like Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, been consistently at 4 stars ranking. Which is a feat in it self, in Season 3 I was strongly tempted to bump it up to 5 stars due to United States of Smash but didn't because I believe the narrative would have held better differently afterwards than what actually happened. So going from 4 -> 5.5 has been the biggest leap among all other anime I have watched.

Artistic:
Since the Arc is primarily about Eri Chan, Overhaul and Togata Mirio lets start there
Firstly: P R O T E C C  E R I  C H A N

now with that aside
Overhauls Arc and the Status of the Sshie Hassaikai mirrors that of a Hybrid between Yakuza and Samurai in Japanese Culture. Overhaul is the heir/acting leader of said Organization and he is using Eri Chan's powers to craft a Drug that will change the Landscape of Hero Society.
Midoriya and Mirio both work at Sir Nighteye's Work Study when the encounter Overhaul and Eri. Midoriya and Mirio both sense something wrong but don't press further. Later on Pro Heroes unveil a Drug among-st Street Villains that power your quirk exponentially and that Shie Hassaikai is likely involved. This begins an investigation which unveils the Dark Secrets revolving around Overhaul and Eri Chan and how she is being used to make said Drugs.

So as usual, BNHA has us hooked with yet another engaging plot line

Characters:
Deku gets even more development
Eri is amazing as a character and you feel you want to protect her
Mirio shows why he is UA's best and brightest and why he was likely the Successor to All Might
The other 2 UA's Top Trio show their power and resolve, the rest of the cast gets their moments.
BNHA knows well that its strength lays in its variety of well developed characters. That aspect is held in full display as each character gets their time.

Visuals, Choreography and Animation:
ALL OF THE FIGHTS ARE AMAZING
A true Shounen anime to the end. BNHA is good for Artistic and Pop Corn fans alike. It has a little something for everyone to enjoy!

And that was only 1/2 the Season

In the 2nd Half we see the Gray Scale of Society,
By far my most favorite villain Character: Gentle Criminal

He represents not the League of Villains, but the usual people who had dreams of being Heroes but had fallen badly in Society. Heck, if Midoriya and Gentle had swapped places it would be almost the same. Gentle Criminal's Backstory is that of Midoriya except he failed in his first attempt at being a Hero. Midoriya jumped in and tried saving Bakugo only to spur All Might into action. Gentle didn't have that luxury and ended up getting someone killed, this led him down the path of villainy.
Boku no Hero Academia at first felt like trying to fill in big shoes by tackling subjects of Drugs. One could say it was mature, but I felt it was merely servicing to it. There is a lot more vile truths surrounding Drugs than just the product. With Gentle Criminal's Arc I felt BNHA had truly matured into an Anime that took these things seriously.
If Overhaul Arc was enough to put BNHA in the 5 star list, then Gentle Criminal ensured it was competing for 6 stars
There is also the amazing development of everyone during the Summer Festival. How EVERY LITTLE THING COUNTED
The Producers and the author alike did not discount anything. Neither did Midoriya, which cements him as the Greatest Shounen Protagonist due to his keen Perception and Intelligence as well as its application and how seriously he could escalate matters. I felt that the likes of Naruto would have devolved it into Comedy or Talk no Jutsu but Midoriya was no nonsense. Even during the fight he actively doesn't punch Gentle which is something to be noted as it is his way of understanding Gentle.
Overall, the Gentle Arc made BNHA in the running to be a 6 stars

FINALLY THE BEST PART:
E N D E A V O U R  
EARNING HIS PLACE TO BE THE NUMBER 1 HERO


Recommended:
STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT.
Again I get the feeling Im repeating myself
but SEASON 4 is what makes BNHA from GOOD to GREAT
You are doing it a disservice by not watching

Re-Watching:
Deku VS Overhaul
Tamaki VS Hassaikai
Kirishima+Fatgum vs RAPPA!
Mirio VS Overhaul
Deku VS Gentle
E N D E A V  O U R
also HAWKS

OF COURSE I PLAN ON WATCHING THIS AGAIN, THESE FIGHT SCENES ARE AMAZING

Also, there are the many little things you will notice only on your rewatch, as well as the buildup. And the big thing revealed in the post credits (Manga Readers you will love this)

Perfect:
If the Music Choice had been better and melded into the show like how FGO Babylonia did so often as well as a full blown Insert Single Release from a Singer to go with Jiro's Performance
Furthermore (my opinion) better Opening and Ending Songs would have made BNHA a 6/5
However, the Music was not note worthy at all as I watched it all with little to no regard to the Music or Soundtrack
unlike the one in Season 1 and YOU SAY RUN
For that reason alone it cannot be a masterpiece, much like Endeavor cannot be All Might
BUT IT COMES REALLY DAMN CLOSE (like Endeavor)

Conclusion: 5.5/5 -> A celebration of what makes BNHA so amazing would be this season. Deku keeps evolving, the Villain League is getting more and more sinister, We see the more grey areas of society with Gentle Criminal and the Meta-Liberation Front (oh Manga peeps know this) so Go ahead and don't waste your time.
Although, this is basically a prompt to: BNHA BECOMES GREATER THAN EVER SO START NOW BEFORE IT BECOMES AS BIG AS ONE PIECE

So I watched Fate Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia

Tl;dr: 5.5/6

Now with that aside.
An Introduction:

If you want to skip the Intro, then start Skipping until u see a big dashed Line saying Read here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Firstly
FATE GRAND ORDER



Is a Mobile Game based off the FATE Series made by TYPE MOON
Author of whom is Kinoko Nasu
TYPE MOON has a variety of Series
-> Tsukihime (Moon Princess)
-> Kara no Kyoukai (Garden of Sinners)
-> Notes
-> Mahotsukai no Yoru (Magicians Night)
etc.

Their Flagship Franchise is the FATE Series:

FATE Originally was released as a Visual Novel back in 2003
It's First installment was: FATE STAY/NIGHT



which featured the Main Character EMIYA SHIROU that survived a ritual known as THE HOLY GRAIL WAR
This ritual involved 7 Magicians being Masters of 7 Heroic Spirits throughout the Ages of Humanity to battle each other until the last one standing. The Victor claimed the HOLY GRAIL which is said to be an Almighty Wish Granting Device.
EMIYA SHIROU survived from the aftermath of the 4th Holy Grail War in Fyuki, Japan.



The story follows him as he battles in the 5th Holy Grail War, in which he is dragged into against his will.

There are 3 Routes: Fate route, Unlimited Blade Works and Heavens Feel



Fate Route got an adaption by Studio DEEN in 2008 (but frankly it was horrible so I am not gonna discuss it anymore)


Unlimited Blade Works got a Movie Adaption 2010 followed by an Anime adaption in 2014 which was well recieved!


In addition there is the Prequel: FATE ZERO which got an anime adaption from its Light Novel in 2011
For those familar with only the anime adaptions, Fate Zero is known to be the best and UBW is often willified as too shounen and generic comapred to the dark and gritty setting of Fate ZERO.
Fate ZERO Follows the story of Emiya Kiritsigu (Shirous Adoptive Father) in his battle for the Grail during the 4th Holy Grail War. During which the catastrophe occurred in which Shirou was the sole survivor.

Lastly, the 3rd and last Route of Fate Stay Night, is Heavens Feel:


This is by far the greatest of the 3 routes.
Each route follows the 3 main heroines:
Arturia 'Saber' Pendragon
A revised version of King Arthur's legend. Follows FATE Route as the Servant Saber of the Master Emiya Shirou


UBW Follows Tohsaka Rin, the Master of Archer (Emiya Shirou is still here)


Heavens Feel follows Sakura Matou, Shirou's Kouhai ( and her dark secret involving the Holy Grail)





Now with that done

We come to Fate Grand Order which is a Mobile Game that follows us (The player) as Humanities Final Master. The History of Humanity has been mysteriously incinerated, so in a battle to preserve Human History. We (Ritsuka Fujimaru in the Anime) along with the Chaldea Security Organizaiton use SHEBA (a Magical Construct) to observe and Rayshift (Teleport to) different Ages where Mankind was defined in order to safeguard them hence a journey through the ages to battle threats to Humanities Existence, each age being a Singularity
We are officially Contracted to the Servant Shielder: Matthew Kyrielight (Mashu)




Fate Grand Order, or FGO, is a mobile game that is a Visual Novel with RPG Elements and Strategy wise Gameplay.


There are 7 Singularities so far:

0: Fyuki - Japan 2003 (Ground Zero of the Incineration)
1: Orleans - France AD 1400s (Hundred Years War)
2: Septem - Rome AD 50s (Rule of Emperor Nero Claudius)
3: Okeanos - The 7 Seas (All great Navigators, Pirates and the Argonauts)
4: London - Britain (During the Industrial Revolution)
5: E Pluribus Unum - The United States during the 1800s (There is a Civil War happening)
6: Camelot - The Holy Land of Jerusalem  + Camelot (King Arthur is up to something)
7: Uruk - Babylonia in Ancient Mesopotamia (during the time known as THE AGE OF GODS)

Along with Lost Belts and so forth,

Now finally to the anime


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The Anime Fate Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia is an adaption of the 7th Singularity of Fate Grand Order.

The Synopsis:
Uruk under the Kingship of King Gilgamesh "The King of Heroes" is under attack by 3 Goddesses that have formed an Alliance to destroy Mankind. King Gilgamesh holds the Holy Grail which each of the Goddesses so much desires as it will make them the new Rulers of the Era.
The rest of Mesopotamia and the World has already fallen and if Uruk Falls, then the Foundation of Humanity will Collapse.
Chaldea sends us forth to aid King Gilgamesh in the Defence of Uurk and to defeat the 3 Goddess Alliance.


Finally the Review:
You may recall I gave 5.5/6 -> Kindly refer to my Artistic Scale if you are confused

Note: I have a visible bias towards the Fate Series, The worth of my opinion is entirely up to you. However, I try my best to be Unbiased in my reviews. Take it this way: If the Franchise I like gets a terrible adaption, I won't defend it to death. I will hate it more than usual, so anyway:

Artistic:
Definitely, The story written by Kinoko Nasu for Babylonia is absolutely top notch. THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT
Name me another story that involves Heroic Spirits across Humanity coming under the Great King Gilgamesh to fight endless Hordes of Demonic Beasts under 3 Goddesses for Humanities Survival. One being from Mesopotamia, One from Mesoamerica and One which is a spoiler.
Mankind is up against The Literal Primordial Goddess of Creation: TIAMAT
On a scale unprecedented, mere mortal men with whatever knowledge of the Arcane fight for their survival. This is no DBZ with Sayains and Super Sayains. This is no Naruto with Ninjas firing Planet Size Chakra Attacks. There is quite simply nothing like it, it is one of its Kind. Perhaps the only one.
We get special mentions from the Mage of Flowers: Merlin, King Leonidas of Sparta, The Legend of Medusa from the Greek Mythology.

I am getting ahead of myself. So what else counts as Artistic:
Narrative and Character Building.
I watch for the Premise, The Narrative, The Characters that Drive it and the Lesson/Moral.
The Premise is absolutely top notch

The Narrative is Kinoko Nasu on full power going absolutely insane with his legendary Writing Skills. If you liked Fate, you will love this too. You will adore it.

Characters: The Insert: Fujimaru Ritsuka actually gets an amazingly decent amount of development. Mashu, the Shielder, Also gets development. Every single character we meet gets so much rich characterization. The 3 Goddesses, King Gilgamesh, King Leonidas, Ushiwakamaru, Benkei, Tiamat, Ereshkigal. EVERYONE GETS ALOT OF IT, you will love every damn second of it

The entire Theme revolves around Mankind and Humanity in itself proving its worth that it is not to be discarded and that it will persevere and survive. Forging its own Destiny and Will upon the Earth, without the help of the Gods and the greater Forces in existence.

So the story is top notch, what about the anime?
I look for:
Visuals, Adaption Strength, Choreography and Animation Strength.


Visuals: The Visuals are Goregous

Adaption Strength: It stays very much true to the original VN with some ramifications to accommodate the anime.

Choreography and Animation Strength:
Watch this and you will know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWwk15P9psU
Gorgon vs  Leonidas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WF-bvtmbZ0
Ushiwakamaru vs Gorgon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOSrMEbRdtc
Quetzalcoatl vs Tiamat



Recommended:
STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT. Even if you are alien to the Fate Franchise, then this is a good place to start. This also stages what you need to know for the Camelot Movie.
You just need to watch the 1 episode special: Fate Grand Order: First Order Anime
Then if you start from Episode 0 of Babylonia, then you will have no problem Enjoying this show. Perhaps it can be your introduction to the Fate Series!

Re-Watching: If you ask me, Yes I can see myself re-watching this. I will show this to others, watch it again and again and again.
 I DID NOT SKIP A SINGLE SECOND OF THE ANIME FROM EPISODE 0 - 21
WHICH IS REALLY HIGH PRAISE FOR SOMEONE SHORT ON TIME
The Opening: Phantom Joke
Ending: By Eir Aoi and Millet
Are absolute BANGERS
there is even a special ending Song for Enkidu
SO YES ABSOLUTELY

Perfect: This was so well done that I can find no gaping problems in the narrative, characters and what not. Even if I did, they would be nitpicks as by Episode 18 I was confirmed on what I would rate this anime. Episode 18 made me forgive a great many things that were previously skimmed or rushed over.
However, it is by no means an Absolute Masterpiece. There are definitely moments (Especially after Episode 12) where the Pace is whack, the Characterization is done a bit weirdly. Furthermore there are definitely moments of Bullshet that don't make sense by the rules of the narrative.
While none of these were present in the original VN in the FGO mobile game, it is understandable that some leaps of logic had to be made in order to accommodate the anime.
At the end of the day, they are nitpicks, and this anime is an absolute journey with a huge pay off.

Conclusion: 5.5/5 -> This anime made me emotional. I shed tears on multiple accounts since that is how well the characterization was done and how epic the moments were. I found my jaw dropping and left absolutely stunned watching events unfold despite already knowing the story via the VN.
This anime is an absolute masterpiece* and it deserves your time. This showcases the best and brightest of everything the Fate series and by extension TYPE MOON has to offer.

Another Day in Crusader Kings 2

Crusader Kings at its finest

My super horny dude who has impregnated more than a Hundred Women
Wakes up one day and suddenly becomes homosexual

He then Proceeds to try to murder his Lifelong Rival and Kinslayer
he fails the murder but instead attempts to have Sex with him
the two have some intense hate sex

The Rival calls some long lost favor on my dude to make him the Chancellor, my dude accepts
Tried Demonic Possession to make the dude my Slave
Demonic Posession fails and my dude goes mad. He gets possessed, becomes a Lunatic
He proceeds to replace the previous Chancellor with a Horse: Glitterhoof
He Spends the entire treasury of the Realm to get the Horse some Shiny Armor

One day news on the Door, One of my Squeezes gave birth to a Child of Satan
My dude, being the sane man he is, Immediately legitmizes the Child!

Gets Excommunicated by the Pope, cuz thats what sane people do.
My dude goes to beg forgiveness in Rome but ends up brutally Insulting the Pope in Rome.

At the same time my dude was attempting to Seduce the Pope

The event fires and the Greviously Insulted Pope and my Dude Bang
He doesnt remove the Excommunication
Although he does end up Excommunicating my Lifelong Rival for being a Homo

The next second my Homo/Rival/Kinslaying/Lover invites me to a Cozy retreat despite being at -100 relations
Naturally my Dude accepted

My dude then decides to no longer be a homo
The Leader of the Satanist Cult asks my Dude to impregnate one of the Followers to give birth to another Demon Child, cuz I bore result once

My man does the deed but the Intercourse was so Intense he becomes Infirm
Not before witnessing the Birth of the Demon Child II

A Civil War breaks out cuz my dude is Excommunicated by the Pope (took them long enough)

As a No U moment, an Anti-Pope in Koln Germany was set up
Shockingly everyone in the realm decides to back this Pope

After quashing the rebellion, war is declared on Rome to remove the Pope and place the Anti-Pope
Italy stood alone against Francia and Germany

As a thanks, the New Pope immediately reaffirms my Excommunication

Civil Wars 2 Electric Boogalo

Managed to Quash this one too yay
Asked for Repentence again,
Thankfully the pope (after a gift of 200) was generous enough to let me off the hook

I pay a visit to my old Rival and have him Imprisoned

All is good and things are looking up

Then, my guy wakes up one day and Decides to be a Homo.


:)