Vortex Gaming

Completed Work Reviews

◆ Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Genre:Fantasy, Adventure

Rating:★★★★☆

One-line review:Excellent addition to the original media mix

Brief Review:Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, which had been a hot topic since last quarter, has been successfully completed. Director Keiichiro Saito has solidified his position by hitting consecutive home runs with Bocchi the Rock! and Frieren.

Personally, I think it's a work that strengthens the parts that were lacking in the original and shows the value of moving pictures well. The director's delicate directing was very impressive. For example, in episode 9, Fern's slightly twisting step in the fight between Fern VS Lugner, which appeared at 16 minutes, was drawn as a point animation, which I think was the director's sense.

The use and direction of the OST is of a quality that goes beyond a harmonious level and is unmatched by any work in the same quarter. The action animation, which was a major criticism in the original, has also been excellently reworked.

I would like to give high marks to the background art, cut direction, character animation, and story. If you like traditional fantasy, you can enjoy it.

The downside is that, although it is a problem with the original itself, there are intentionally slow-paced episodes in the middle, and both the main characters, Frieren and Fern, do not have much emotional change, and the atmosphere in the work is calm, so it lacks stimulating taste. It may not be suitable for those who like fast-paced action manga.

◆ I'm in Love with the Villainess

Genre:Yuri, Magical Girl, Comedy

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:Highly appreciate the production team's challenging spirit

Brief Review:This work cannot be left out in terms of topicality this quarter. First of all, it is a work that contains 19+ elements, and it is depicted at a very dense level, so if you are uncomfortable with this type of anime, please skip it quickly.

Personally, I highly value the fact that the production team's intentions are clearly revealed in the direction of the animation, and I would like to give almost perfect marks in that area for I'm in Love with the Villainess.

The disappointing point is that it is a typical low-budget anime, so if you expected a high level of animation, movement, or musical or directorial effects, you may be disappointed. There are many still screens, and the animation quality is not consistent. There is almost no action animation direction. However, I think this work has revealed the desires that the audience wanted more than anyone else on the screen enough to cover up these shortcomings.

I can't give a good evaluation in terms of artistry, but if you are interested in SM, yuri, and 19+ keywords, it is a satisfying anime. I think they put a lot of effort into the sound effects (the sound of skin hitting skin, or the sound of flowing).

As an aside, because of this work, anime that chose a similar route, such as Slave of the Magic Capital's Elite Troops or Tales of Wedding Rings in the same quarter, had a bitter taste.

◆ The Apothecary Diaries

Genre:Mystery, Medical

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:Plausible medical mystery, the beauty of the characters enhances the plausibility

Brief Review:As befits a work that has surpassed 30 million copies, the power of the story itself was enough to immerse me in the play. In terms of animation, it showed consistently stable animation, and the details of the costumes and makeup worn by the characters in the play were good. Set against the backdrop of a court where the hierarchy is clear, and with a competitive structure with other concubines, you can get a slight office drama feel.

The mystery genre direction was shown in the parts that needed to be emphasized, and the voice actors' acting followed it well. It's a composition that seems to pack all the volume of the original, but the flow continues without any major drag, so the script can be said to be well written. Since it follows the feeling of the original, if you look at it from a part where you don't know the original well, there may be a part where you think 'Huh?' in this episode, but the fact that it all connects in the back is delicious.

The downside is that I think the tempo may not be suitable for viewers who like stimulating developments. Since it is a work set in China, which has become difficult to see these days, there may be some difficult elements for viewers who are not familiar with this background. What is certain is that it is far from a sweet romance.

Also, I don't think the first opening and ending, which are reminiscent of action movies, matched the atmosphere of the play no matter how I thought about it. The second opening and ending showed a greatly improved appearance, perhaps because they were aware of this.

The completeness of the character and story is well-organized and organic. Overall, I feel that the characters are well integrated into the flow of the court. As for the charm of the main character, Maomao, there are a few words that come to mind, but I can only say that it is a mysterious charm that is difficult to organize.

◆ A Sign of Affection

Genre:Pure Romance, Drama

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:A bowl of sweetness that paralyzes even the tongue

Brief Review:It is a love story between a heroine who has been deaf since birth and a handsome man with a mysterious atmosphere who is interested in the culture and language of a country he has never experienced. It is a story with a fast and clean progression without frustrating developments like sweet potatoes, and the stories of side couples that go in between.

Rather than actively depicting the hardships and difficulties of life as a hearing-impaired person, like A Silent Voice, which was produced by Kyoto Animation, it is used as a story device in which the heroine first becomes interested in the sign language she uses, and then develops a crush on someone in a world she doesn't know, and they embrace worlds they don't know.

Thanks to this, there are no scenes of bullying or suffering that people with disabilities experience, so viewers who feel uncomfortable with such parts can watch it without difficulty. Elements of appreciation include the characters that are deformed cutely in the middle and the actions and lines that show a level of sweetness that will rot all your teeth.

Even I, a pure romance manga maniac who is immune to most cheesy things, couldn't stand it and shouted several times. The voice actors' acting is stable, and the emotional expression through hands, which is the core of pure romance manga, is very impressive, including sign language, and there are quite a few impressive points in the direction, so I would like to recommend it to anyone who enjoys pure romance manga.

◆ The Dangers in My Heart

Genre:Youth Drama, Pure Romance

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:The production team's understanding of the work has become even more dense in the second cour

Brief Review:In the first cour, the animation felt a bit inconsistent, and there were many unnatural cuts, but in the second cour, the collaboration with the writer seems to have gone well, and the animation, direction, and cut distribution have all improved.

Usually, male viewers may focus on the heroine, Anna Yamada, but I think the character who is loved by the production team is the main character, Kyotaro. There are many cuts where Kyotaro is directed to look particularly cute. The newly appeared characters, Yurine Hanzawa and Kanna Ando, were also impressive even though their screen time was short.

Above all, the visual beauty shown in the opening video directed by Tetsuro Araki in this quarter is excellent. The gymnasium dance scene using motion capture, as well as the overwhelming art animation that appears in each cut, will make you open your mouth and watch. I personally like the director very much, so I hope his next new work will come out soon.

In summary, The Dangers in My Heart 2nd season is an anime that fans will be satisfied with, with more mature quality, delicate emotional depiction direction, and a higher level of understanding from both the production team and the voice actors than the first season, which had some shortcomings. Above all, I like the fact that it was made easy to understand the direction intended by the director.

◆ Solo Leveling

Genre:Action, Urban Fantasy, Hunter

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:The action animation is top-notch

Brief Review:It is based on a Korean web novel and webtoon that is the originator of the trend of titles such as ○○ Hunter. There were many things to see, such as the gruesome scenes with desperate voice acting from the first episode, and the cool action animation that exploded from the fourth episode.

The original is a very famous work, but I think you can enjoy it without any inconvenience even if you don't have any background knowledge of the original. In the case of the anime, it is difficult to give a high evaluation in terms of script composition, but I still think it was a convincing storytelling structure.

The advantages are the clean animation quality and the action direction. The animation is not so excellent that it is very outstanding, but it maintained stable animation without collapsing, and the action direction showed animation that far exceeded expectations.

The disadvantage is that the development is too focused on the main character, with almost no depiction of the people around him. There is a slightly slow part, and since the original is a work from quite a while ago, the character design also feels a bit out of trend. Above all, I feel that the musical direction is very disappointing. The quality of the OST itself, in which Hiroyuki Sawano participated, is quite good, but I'm a bit doubtful whether it was used in the right place.

Except for the main character, there are no characters that leave a lasting impression, and there is no cool resolution of foreshadowing until the second season comes out, so I think there are few elements that appeal to viewers who focus on dramatic parts or character depiction (especially female characters).

◆ Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange

Genre:Drama, Disaster, Passion

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:The more you get immersed, the hotter the story becomes

Brief Review:It is an anime with a somewhat high barrier to entry. First of all, the character design is not trendy, and the material of special rescue team members is not common. Above all, the actions of Onoda Shun, who is set as the narrator in the early episodes, and Toake's superhuman but difficult-to-understand obsession, which he sees as the main character, may be repulsive to viewers who have not encountered this type of manga.

Personally, I started watching it because I was interested in it as a sequel to Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M, which I enjoyed watching when I was young, so I think the barrier to entry was a little lower. I think this work is also a passionate sports or hero story disguised as a rescue team, just like it was back then.

The main characters' unbelievable superhuman obsession and strong friendship, etc. The story development is also hot both on and off the screen. Since there is a series of events where you can't let your guard down every episode, I think the fatigue was quite high while watching it.

The disadvantage is that it is difficult to understand unless you are extremely immersed in the actions and personality of the main characters. Of course, there is justification because there is a major premise of rescuing people, but there is a bit of an excessive side. Right from the beginning, there are scenes where he dislocates his own shoulder (!) to rescue a person buried in a structure, or rescues him in a way that is close to suicide. It can be difficult to watch if you feel uncomfortable with these overly altruistic parts.

And since it is a manga with old-fashioned sensibilities, I think the cut direction and character image are a bit old-fashioned, which is one of the barriers to entry. The fact that there were two compilation episodes in the middle, whether due to a scheduling error, is also a reason for cutting off the tempo. In summary, it is a hot anime that stimulates emotions to the point that I have been moved to tears several times while watching it with immersion, but getting to that stage is difficult.

◆ 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Enemy!

Genre:Court, Regression, Villainess

Rating:★★★☆☆

One-line review:What is the life of a hard worker who only says they are resting?

Brief Review:There may be pressure from the title, but in fact, there are no elements that are like a villainess at all, so it is a work that is rather questionable. It has a stronger tendency as a regression story that dies and repeats again at a specific point, and furthermore, it is a work with strong romance elements.

Overall, the power of the main character, Lisel, pulls the entire play, and it is fun to watch her progressive appearance as she pioneers the future based on the various knowledge and information about people she has acquired while regressing for the 7th time.

If you can overcome the typical female-oriented romance painting style, the story is exciting, so I think it is a work that you can watch without difficulty. The beauty of Arnold and the beauty of his younger brother, Theodore, were so carefully drawn that they made me stop breathing in the middle, and the effort put into the direction is also outstanding.

The disappointing part was that the story about Michel Evan, who appeared in the second half, was a somewhat frustrating flow because Lisel moved in a somewhat passive position. There are aspects that the script composition becomes somewhat poor in the second half, such as a drop in tension, but overall, it is evaluated as a masterpiece that has brought out the taste of the original more than the original.

◆ The Witch and the Beast

Genre:Dark Fantasy, Picaresque

Rating:★★☆☆☆

One-line review:Does dark fantasy taste like a youth story?

Brief Review:The original itself is a work with a unique atmosphere, and it contained quite a strong description, but for some reason, it feels like all those elements are missing in the anime.

It is recommended for those who like plot twists or prefer picaresque stories where more vicious characters than villains appear, but the work itself uses many classical writing methods and directions, so it feels a bit old.

The anime did not capture the unique atmosphere of the original well, and I think the overall color scheme is composed of too bright tones. Of course, it is not at the level of destroying the original, but it was not a feeling that gave a sense of immersion that you could watch all at once.

Personally, I like the Panora & Johan episode in the original, but I'm disappointed that it was expressed in a somewhat lively (?) feeling in the anime. The Helga and Magic Sword Ashgan episode was a bit ambiguous in the original, but the anime was a series of disappointments in itself. The last episode is a past episode that develops and then ends abruptly, which is also subtle. It definitely follows the flow of the original, but the anime adaptation is of a strange quality that does not capture the taste of the original at all, so my personal evaluation is low.

I don't know what the problem is with the disturbing element, but the strangely loud volume of the opening music was also annoying.

◆ Bang Brave Bang Bravern

Genre:Mecha, Brave Series

Rating:★★☆☆☆

One-line review:It was a bit sloppy, but the move to Super Robot Wars is a pass

Brief Review:The first episode was a shock as if God himself had descended, but after that, the work had considerable ups and downs in each episode. Even if you like mecha, it is included in a separate category called Brave Series, and you have to go further into it and digest some bromance (?) elements.

In terms of direction in the play, director Masami Obari's techniques are all used, and he showed excellent mecha action. The character design is also quite good, and Kenichi Suzumura's passionate performance, who was in charge of Bravern's witty acting and even sang the song, was also outstanding.

However, it is a difficult work to recommend to viewers who do not enjoy mecha, because of the somewhat artificial characters and the classical story flow and ending. If you grew up watching Brave Series when you were young, it is worth watching, but viewers who value the completeness of the story will feel that the sloppy parts are disappointing. Considering these points, I think robot anime tastes better if it goes for 2 cours, whether it lives or dies.

Personally, I'm a bit doubtful whether a second season will come out, but I think it's certain that it will appear in the next Super Robot Wars.

◆ Metallic Rouge

Genre:SF, Action, Noir, Buddy

Rating:★★☆☆☆

One-line review:Rouge, whose first impression was strong, but the result is loose

Brief Review:If I had to pick the work I was most looking forward to before entering the first quarter, I would pick this work. That's how strong my desire for SF was, and I felt that it would definitely be a hit because the OST that adopted jazz and the voice actors were good.

However, I think it was only up to the third episode that satisfied those expectations. After that, it was a repetition of too bland direction and dragging development. After watching it to the end, I know what I wanted to say, but the process was not good.

What I expected was flashy action reminiscent of tokusatsu, various SF settings, and the affectionate feeling unique to yuri buddy stories, but I don't remember anything. So I can only say that the explanation and direction for why I chose this setting were too lacking.

To evaluate, I think it was less exciting than the director's previous work, Carole & Tuesday. What remains are the OST and the transformation direction and combat suit design that came in as points in the middle. And I like voice actor Tomoyo Kurosawa, but I also feel that the image of the character she was in charge of this time did not match well. The eerie feeling I felt in the first episode did not last long, and I will continue to regret the story distribution by episode.

◆ Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp

Genre:Romance Fantasy, Medical, Politics

Rating:★★☆☆☆

One-line review:Only appetizers came out, but it was surprisingly edible

Brief Review:The original is a Korean web novel. In the beginning, I wasn't very interested because the number of animation sheets was insufficient and the direction was mediocre, but I continued to watch it because of the acting of the main characters and the impressive coloring. However, as an animation, it was cut off at a point that was a bit disappointing to end in one cour, so it did not end properly.

These parts seem to be similar to the circumstances in which she had to go to the Duke's residence. Compared to The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, which had a good animation quality and was not bad as an anime itself, Elise is closer to promoting the webtoon than the completeness of the anime itself. The creaking animation and poor background art prove that the budget was not very generous.

To conclude, the points are the decent acting skills of the main cast, the character that was somewhat attractive, and the beautiful costume design. The disadvantages are the disappointing direction, background art, and music that are like watching a 00s anime. I was very shocked while watching the opening.

The story itself is that a reckless villainess dies, repents of her sins, lives the life of a doctor in modern times, and then returns to her original villainess and changes the future. The clichés as a villainess are not very strong, and the focus is more on the medical side. And although it is a romance fantasy, the heroine is so busy with work (...) that there are not many sweet elements. Rather, it is closer to watching an alternate history story. Personally, I think the most beautiful character was Yurien de Childe. I think the coloring was amazingly well done.

◆ Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord

Genre:Isekai Reincarnation, Fantasy, Villainess, Misunderstanding

Rating:★☆☆☆☆

One-line review:The main character has a nuisance attribute

Brief Review:When I think about why I ended up watching this until the end, it's because the character design and setting weren't bad. The disappointing thing is that the setting can be explored in depth, but it ends with a shallow and light atmosphere all the time, perhaps because of the author's limitations.

I don't know if it would be possible to go on a comedy route where the characters match well, like My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, which was a villainess comedy from last quarter, but Level 99 has a strong feeling that the author is letting the characters move and developing the play according to the flow of consciousness.

At first, I started watching it with expectations for a cider development with munchkin elements, but from the middle, those elements became somewhat faint, and question marks were attached as a villainess story. From the middle, it feels like they brought in all sorts of elements such as slow life, territory management, and daily life. I almost dropped it from the episode where I caught and raised a dragon, but somehow I ended up watching it until the end.

As a result, it seems right to see it as a comedy genre animation of the 4-cut manga type that only borrows the structure rather than the drama or suspense of a traditional villainess story. It was fun to watch the character's facial expressions and the voice actors' acting.

◆ Slave of the Magic Capital's Elite Troops

Genre:Erotic Comedy, Harem, Battle, Urban Fantasy

Rating:★☆☆☆☆

One-line review:If that's the case, why don't you just break the brake like a magical girl?

Brief Review:I had some information about the original, so I couldn't see this anime completely objectively, but I still think it showed a completion level of average.

It's not a catastrophic anime that would make original fans cry out, because it follows the original flow well, and you can see the effort in the service scenes.

If I had to pick out the parts that are difficult to shield, it would be the coloring and the clumsy action direction that seems to be from the Showa era. The quality of the action scenes deteriorated rapidly as it went to the second half, which was terrible. The service scenes were relatively damaged because there was such an outstanding competitor in the same quarter.

The original had quite impressive shading, but it wasn't well revealed in the anime because of the coloring problem, and what more can I say about the action part? Personally, I think the best animation was Yachiho.

With an honest feeling, I have a disappointing wish that the voice actors would have let go of their minds a little more in the service scenes. I think this is a problem with the director's directing. It was visible that the production team was all trying to keep the line. If I'm in Love with the Villainess came out with a higher level than the original, Slave of the Magic Capital's Elite Troops is the opposite, with a lower level than the original. The evaluation may change when the Blu-ray comes out, but for now, the TVA evaluation has many regrets.

A deeper service scene is scheduled to come out in the second season, and I'm curious whether they will keep the line like this time, or boldly break the brake.

◆ Ragna Crimson

Genre:Dark Fantasy, Action Battle

Rating:★☆☆☆☆

One-line review:Even the greatest strength of the original has been destroyed

In fact, I completed it with a fan heart for the original, but the quality cannot be said to be good even with empty words. It was a work with powerful action, but the anime is covered with the unique still screens of low budget and the crude effects that make you laugh. Most of them are standing in place and swooshing.

The only thing that can be salvaged is the passionate acting of the voice actors. In particular, I was constantly impressed while watching Ayumu Murase's acting as Crimson's voice actor. Noto Mamiko's dumb acting, which I saw in a while, was also good.

Silver Link is a production company that does so many works, so there was anxiety about the quality from the beginning, and the expectations were low, but there were many parts that made me think, 'Still, this is a bit...'. Anyway, the point that can be highly praised is that the story within the desired goal was neatly finished within 2 cours. It's a pity.

Dropped Works