[Kiwami]

As someone who has read the manga I have very mixed feelings about this.

The sound design impressed me. The music is on point, the effects are great and the VA’s are amazing. They did a great job here.

Animation – no, just no. This CG-crap is so ugly, irritating and unforgivable. I am somewhat accustomed to action-scenes using 3D models nowadays, but this complete 3D look is awful. The characters move way too choppy and weird, sometimes it looks like they’re lagging because of the weird framerate issues, and the action, while cool, looks like semi-dated videogame cutscenes at best. Really not a fan of how this show looks.

Story-wise – the adaptation is as good as one could ask from cramming 7 manga volumes into 13 episodes. A lot gets left out but at least the vital parts are there. Some changes work extraordinarily well, Rena for example with her changed attitude towards Ultraman is great, but I really miss certain parts which I feel like would’ve made the show better. But again, they had to cut out a lot.

It’s a mixed bag for me. If I close my eyes and just listen to the sounds and envision what this could’ve been like it’s quite exciting. In reality though – it’s just another subpar looking "okay" adaptation of a interesting story.

I guess for people who haven’t read the manga this is perfectly fine entertainment, but I just wish this could’ve been better.