Short, non-spoiler reviews and hot takes of anime for the newly initiated weeb.
Overall story is painfully, obviously the story for a mobile game. Fate's mental gymnastics for magic rules are rampant, but there's some great fight choreography, as well as inspirational dialogue and speeches.
All new story from the series at this point, though a lot of the character development is the same, and primarily focuses on Shinji.
The darkest “A Certain” entry yet that follows our antihero Accelerator. A more serious tone, some great fights, and a short, decent plot.
Studio ufotable flexes on the entire anime industry again with some of the most gorgeous art and animation, coupled with Yuki Kajiura's perfect soundtrack. Unfortunately, the "rules of magic" gymnastics and overly complicated philosophy was distracting and made it more difficult to immerse as the previous movies.
God of Highschool unfortunately really felt like an amateur webcomic, which isn't surprising considering WebToon was the source material. Well animated fights, but Tournament Arc alone isn't enough to carry this disjointed, confusing story.
Much better than previous Index installments, not nearly as much eye-rolling ecchi, but a lot of the same sins. Villains are all good guys by the next arc, (and there are a lot of arcs) and the overarching plot is needlessly complex, and solved via deus-ex machina anyway.
Despite having all the ingredients to be the next anime classic, it ended up feeling like Magical Index meets the bad of Evangelion with unrealistic characters that betray their established depth and personalities.
More of the melodramatic, campy, hilarious nonsense that takes itself way too seriously that you loved from parts 1 & 2, but at a more relaxed, episodic pace.
The movie is the best in the Index series, but that isn't saying much. Animation is improved, but it still bears all the sins of the series: Constant exposition, convoluted plot, and the same tired ecchi jokes. It also ignores the ending of Index II despite taking place right after it.
While I really liked the premise, I feel the execution fell short on all fronts. Lackluster animation, characters, and dialogue led me to literally fall asleep during the final battles.
At a Glance Anime 