The Promised Neverland: 10 Questions We Have For Season 2 ...

I’m a fairly recent anime addict, having started watching about 8 months ago. Having watched about 70 animes, there are definitely some that I found absolutely stunning, and I believe that everyone should watch them.
{Violet Evergarden} - Drama, Romance
Violet Evergarden follows a girl used as a military tool as she tries to fit into society after she was sent away from the military. Having never understood emotions or thought for herself, she decides to become a Doll, a professional at writing letters. Violet’s journey and development throughout the show is never specifically stated, but rather shown through her actions and reactions.
However, Violet isn’t the only focus of the anime. The clients and their stories are extremely emotional and well written. While they are only focused on for a single episode each, this anime excels at bringing emotion to these characters that you’ve just been introduced to.
Finally, I want to say something about Violet Evergarden’s visuals. Kyoto studio’s effort and time is easily seen in this shows absolutely stunning visuals. Massive scenery shots to the details on Violet’s metallic hands are all expertly done and are leagues above most anime.
It is no understatement to say this show is an experience. Heartfelt moments and memorable characters make this anime excellent. Episode 10 is one of the greatest episodes ever made and I have to admit that this show made me cry over 8 times. If you choose one anime on this lost then I would recommend this one.
{The Promised Neverland} - Thriller, Psychological
The Promised Neverland is definitely an excellent thriller with its deep characters and great plot twists. I’m not going to give a synopsis of this anime because the surprise of finding out what this show is about makes the first episode one of the most enjoyable.
Following a cast of smart kids along with excellent villains makes the thrill of this adventure an absolute blast. With both sides knowing more than the other thinks, plot twists and unpredictable moments create an intense standoff. Additionally, all the characters are unique and believable. The too kind for her own good Emma to the harsh realist Ray give create main characters and even the side characters have important roles.
If you want a thriller, not many other shows come close the matching The Promised Neverland in its magnificent story and great cast. Surprising dark moments are very well executed and I found myself rooting for all the characters to survive. I’m excited for season 2 to air in January and I hope it maintains its excellent quality.
Monogatari Series - Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Ecchi
With 9 seasons and 4 movies, the story, themes, and quality can vary, but Monogatari still consistently surprises me with it’s god-tier writing. The Monogatari series follows Koyomi Araragi as he lives his supernatural life trying to help those around him. Having been turned into a vampire and now having recovered, Araragi helps his classmates, sisters, and friends with their supernatural problems.
Monogatari Series’s main focus is its characters. Its dialogue-heavy with most of the time just demonstrating the dynamic between the characters. And I love all this dialogue since it deals with my favorite characters out of any anime. People commonly say that every girl is best girl in this anime, and that is no understatement. Every character has a unique personality with specific motives and backstory. Monogatari’s characters are the only ones I’m willing to listen to them talk for 80+ episodes.
I’m going to say that this show is not for everyone. Studio Shaft has created one of the strangest anime I’ve watched. Surreal environments, crazy camera angles, flashing walls of text make a very interesting viewing experience. On top of the crazy visuals, Araragi’s extreme perversion makes some very uncomfortable scenes. Many people can’t handle a lot of these strange things or just find the show boring.
However, if you are someone who can appreciate all of the aspects, the Monogatari series is a great adventure with engaging characters and a well thought out plot. If you do plan on watching this show, I recommend watching it in this order: bake, kizu, nise, neko: kuro, and then continue watching in release order.
{Puella Magi Madoka Magica} - Psychological, Drama, Thriller, Action
This anime is the very definition of do not judge a book by its cover. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the magical girl series from hell. The concept of the magical girl series is that these young girls are given power and a wish in return for fighting against witches. Sounds harmless, right? Despair, pain, death, and worse ends up being the result of being a magical girl, and seeing these girls suffer through this is incredibly painful to watch.
One of the main things I enjoyed about this show was how every episode consistently moved me, and no part of it was filler. Whenever you start an episode, you can sit down guaranteeing a hit in the feels. Don't expect it to just be grieving over one of the characters dying, because this show has so much more.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is from Studio Shaft, the same studio behind the Monogatari Series, so you can expect the usual surreal visuals and weirdness that this studio consistently provides. One of the most visually appealing part of this show is the witches' labyrinths. These visuals alone are enough reason to watch this show, with great fight scenes and excellent animation.
Main thing I can say about this show is that you should not pass it up just because it has cute girls as the main characters or that it seems to be a little girl's show. This anime is so much more and I would really like the emphasize the psychological genre this anime has.
{Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai} - Romance, School, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama
Please do not mistake this show for a slice of life or an ecchi because of the name. This show is so far from that. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai follows the relationship between the student Sakuta Azusagawa and the celebrity model Mai Sakurajima. This show revolves around a supernatural illness called Puberty Syndrome and the issues it causes for the students at the school. Having suffered from this disease himself, Sakuta discovers Mai Sakurajima is suffering from it too with her existence being invisible to everyone except Sakuta.
The best thing about this anime is the relationships between the characters. The wholesome romantic relationship between Sakuta and Mai is one of the most entertaining dynamic between characters to watch. Thankfully, the main characters aren't the only good characters with their friends and family having unique and meaningful backstories and personalities. This show does a great job with making the characters seem human through their mistakes and believable reactions.
Furthermore, this show's comedy is great too. The dynamics between characters in between the major events provides even more reason to love all the characters in this anime. However these lighthearted moments are consistently turned on their head with sad and heartfelt scenes. I view this anime as a legitimate contender to Violet Evergarden in terms of tearjerking moments.
I've tried to recommend this anime to several of my friends, but they've turned it down just from the title and cover. I really hope I can get my point across that this is much more than it looks like. I also want to say that the movie is also excellent, possibly even better than the show. Out of all the anime I've watched, this show is easily my favorite romance anime.
{Hunter X Hunter (2011)} - Shounen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
I typically dislike shounens for their generic action, filler, and classic "our friendship will defeat you." Hunter X Hunter is an exception to this with it's excellent world, memorable characters, and well written plot. Hunter X Hunter follows a 12 y/o boy named Gon Freecss on his adventure to become a hunter and find his father. During the test to become a hunter, Gon meets Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio who team up to pass the test.
The main highlight of HxH is the characters. Well, you're with them for 148 episodes, so they better be good. None of them are annoying and I find myself loving every new character they introduce, even the villains. Most of HxH is less than perfect, but two arcs in particular are absolutely fantastic: the York New arc and the Chimera Ant arc. These arcs introduce such good characters that are an absolute blast to stick around with. I believe what makes these two arcs so good is the villains. York New's Phantom Troupe, a group of 9 members who are criminals, but not without morals or motives. The Chimera Ant's king and the group of royal guards, all with personality and as much screen time as the main characters.
Of course with characters you care about comes good emotional moments. However, HxH puts a lot of that emotion into happy moments of accomplishment rather than sadness over a character's death. I absolutely love the characters in HxH and I love that this show puts emotion into their successes instead of their losses.
If you enjoy the shounen genre or are looking for a nice long anime to spend your quarantine with, then Hunter X Hunter is definitely my recommendation for you.
{Steins;Gate} - Sci-fi, Thriller
Time travel is a great concept, but so much content around it makes the concept over saturated and often generic and boring. Steins;Gate completely blows it out of the park, with its great cast, excellent premise, and very well written plot. Steins;Gate follows Rintarou Okabe as he discovers time travel accidentally. I don't want to spoil much, but most of the show is Okabe trying to clean up the mess created by time travel. It's surprisingly dark with lots of emotion and some of the greatest plot twists out of any anime I've watched.
There's not much I can say about this besides that this anime is an excellent experience. Its complexity of the story with it's great cast of characters creates a wonderful sci-fi story that earns it its #2 spot on MAL. If you love sci-fis, they don't get better than this.

If you consider all of the anime I have written about so far as S-tier, then the following is my A-tier list:
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fate/Zero
Attack on Titan
Beyond the Boundary
Kill la Kill
Re:Zero
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Made in Abyss
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Mob Psycho 100
Dororo
Love is War
Demon Slayer

Well this post has gotten pretty long. Thank you for reading this far. It means a lot to me that someone is willing to read through my opinions and reviews. Feel free to recommend other anime to me or roast me for my bad taste. If you do decide to watch one of these shows, I would appreciate it if you told me in the comments so I know my recommendations aren't in vain :)

My top 7 list of Anime to watch (If you care)

Should You Watch It? Winter 2019 Edition

Fall 2018 Edition’s Thread

Boogiepop wa Warawanai

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
The supernatural and the normal collide in Boogiepop wa Warawanai, an anime about an ephemeral spirit who watches over the populace, a “witch” who does the same from the shadows, and the realistic (and not-so-realistic) chaos which ensues nearby.
Based on its first arc alone, the plot demands maximum attention, what with its non-chronological series of events and the bevy of characters it touts. This setup helps and hinders. Helps because it creates an interesting mystery to watch unfold; hinders because it can cause unnecessary confusion. The fact that the second episode released simultaneously with the first episode to explain its (purposefully disjointed) start should be argument enough.
This unfortunate duality seems to be a common thread in all that the project tackles. The off-kilter cuts in the music up suspense, but they come off too jarring. The setting makes sense, but the artistic direction leaves much to be desired. The story and the characters have a meaningful claim to stake, but they both lack substance.
To its credit, the underlying theme on the nature of humanity does not lose its focus, and those two main players have individual statuses and a clear connection worthy of larger exploration. For now, though, these traits and others are best viewed with an eye of caution.

Another Perspective, courtesy of gosheno:

Watch It
“As much as I wish to explain the synopsis, I can’t—and shouldn’t. Boogiepop starts off, and continues to be a confusing story. But it’s because of this confusion that I find myself captivated by the duties of a possessed girl (voiced by a smug Aoi Yuki) in a purple pipe hat.
So be warned: this show is not for everyone, and many may be distracted by its non-linear storytelling. But, its interchanging character perspectives continually change your own understanding of each previous episode and the overarching storyline. Every week, I found myself surprised and gripped by the clever effects of this disjointed narrative as the show builds on its themes. Directing and storyboarding can seem absurd initially, but when you piece everything together, you’ll want to rewatch to pick up on the details you overlooked the first time.
For a Madhouse production, though, its character designs are lacking because its art style is nondistinctive from any other light novel adaptation. Characterization becomes so shrouded in the show’s mystery genre that sometimes, the cast comes off as undeveloped and neglected by the creators. However, if you’re contemplating or even more confused about this show, I suggest binge-watching the first 3 episodes.”

Domestic na Kanojo

Banjo’s Perspective

Watch It
Ahh, romance. A fickle creature not quite that easy to have thanks to its numerous obstacles. Crushes on those seemingly out-of-reach. Empty feelings behind actions. In Domestic na Kanojo, Natsuo finds himself in this exact situation with his female teacher named Hina and a girl named Rui. And after an impromptu remarriage, these sisters become his (step-) sisters, brewing up a volatile triangle ripe for craziness.
Setting aside the pseudo-incest angle as an excuse to get the story rolling rather than the driving force behind it already gets at what the anime prioritizes most: Drama with a capital “D”. It stems from Natsuo, Hina, and Rui with their respective troubles and thoughts on love and lust, giving rise to the ever-changing relationships between them.
And it works. This shlocky, grounded soap opera takes its ridiculous setup in stride with other notable elements. The two heroines have received clear character arcs to follow. Solid production values, such as the nice character designs and the passionate opening track, keep everything in good spirits. A couple of supporting characters add realism and helpfulness. And it isn’t afraid to get a tad more risqué than the norm for this medium.
If nothing else, the juiciness of the unfolding events makes domesticating this anime not just a possibility but a fun experience outright.

Another Perspective, courtesy of bagglewaggle:

Drop It
“Domestic Girlfriend is yet another entry into the endless pantheon of 'not-incest' anime where the romantic interests end up under the same roof.
And it's bad.
Dear god, it's so bad.
Natsuo's love troubles went from bad to worse: he had a crush on his teacher (Hina), and then a strange girl (Rui) took him to her house and had sex with him. And now he's come to learn to that the two of them are sisters, and their mother is marrying his father.
Does that sound wacky? Because it isn't. This show is largely a drama centered around Natsuo, Rui (who is a human version of the 'emotionless sex' tag), and Hina, the obligatory big titty onee-chan. At least in Kiss X Sis, there was an appreciation for the silliness of the premise.
Here, the comedy and ecchi is shoved off to the side, only to pop up in bizarre places. From tense nude bathroom conversations, to a make-out session mid-adultery confrontation, to borderline surreal play-acting in class, nothing flows and nothing fits.
It's really hard to overstate how incompetent Domestic Girlfriend is, and lest you think there might be some redeeming value, the music is rarely fitting and there's some off-model/under-animated parts.
This is the first show I've seen from Winter 2019, and it's already a contender for worst show of the season.”

Dororo

Banjo’s Perspective

Must Watch It
One rule must always be remembered when dealing with demons: Everything has a price. For Hyakkimaru of Dororo, the price for his unfortunate exchange arrived steep and not of his own accord. But that doesn’t stop him from surviving without the barest of bodily essentials and teaming up with a kindhearted kid who looks out for him as much as possible.
Slated as a multi-cour show, the story has a lot left to get to, yet its beginning already packs potential. Hyakkimaru’s inevitable development from a visceral doll to a fulfilled human gives him a very strong character arc to follow, and the supporting cast members have their parallels and connections for even further clout. The samurai motif and the religious subtexts likewise paint the narrative in a mature light, granting it the chance for thematic ideas on purpose and fate and tenacity of the soul.
Other elements perform well as well. Darker, somber colors and a historical setting create a fitting mood throughout the events. Intriguing music exists from start to finish. And the action sequences, while somewhat brief, act as a good interlude in-between the general seriousness of the plot. With everything ready, this project may just steal the spotlight for those who permit it the chance it certainly deserves.

Another Perspective, courtesy of GetADogLittleLongie:

Watch It
“If I had to describe this series in one sentence it's Berserk meets Rurouni Kenshin. The original series aired in 1969 and the first thing you'll notice is that it's darker than most modern anime. Hyakkimaru was born without eyes, ears, skin, or even a nervous system, because his father, a lord of Feudal Japan, traded them to 12 demons. Now he travels Japan killing the demons, and recovering his organs, with a child he meets named Dororo.
The show uses color sparingly to show that the world is bleak. As sad as Hyakkimaru's story is, it might not even be the saddest. If you're not ok with blood and death then this show probably isn't for you.
Each episode feels like its own arc with new characters and a satisfying resolution. It's amazing how much they manage to cram into 20 minutes, that said my main gripe with the show is that the episodes are too short for the amount of information they're trying to show.
The main characters are great. Dororo's cute playful nature is a great contrast to Hyakkimaru's inhuman lack of emotion or speech. I really want to see Hyakkimaru evolve from a killing machine with swords for arms to a normal human.
The animation quality is solid; fights are short and involve little monologuing.
Worth a watch if you have time.”

Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue.

A Perspective, courtesy of BeckyMetal:

Must Watch It
“Subaru, 23 year old social-phobic author whose parents are recently deceased, is followed home one day by street-smart stray-cat, Haru. What ensues are simple little stories where the inability to understand each other drives some tender development. My Roommate is a Cat is a story of a 20-something that needs to learn some life lessons and learns them in such wholesome ways.
With episodes about Subaru trying to remember to feed not just himself but his new roommate, as well as figure out what the hell is bugging Haru, he learns a lot. But it goes further - episodes are divided to give Haru’s perspective. This feeds into the show's fun sense of humour, but also does something very important to show how the issue looks from another side and punctuate the inherent difficulty in understanding one another (cat or otherwise). While different perspectives aren't the most novel solution to this theme, it’s extremely elegant in practice due to one perspective being, well, a cat, but also the way in which Subaru's understanding of his own problems changes throughout the show.
Anybody looking for something quiet yet powerfully resonant will gain a lot from the huge gamut of emotions this show runs. It'll have you laughing, crying, and always, smiling.”

Another Perspective, courtesy of PPGN_DM_Exia:

Watch It
“My Roommate is a Cat captures a lot of the same vibes as shows like Barakamon, She and Her Cat and Poco's Udon World. While the show's premise delivers on the promise of cute cat moments, it also mixes in some serious themes as it relates to its protagonist, Subaru, who struggles with severe social anxiety and loneliness.
In many ways, the show is a love-letter to pet owners and the pets that bring them comfort.The show's main strength is that it does a good job of conveying the support that Subaru's cat provides him, even if they can't directly communicate with each other. Somewhat uniquely, each episode also contains a retelling of events earlier in the episode, but from the cat's perspective. This leads to some funny misunderstandings but also shows that their friendship is genuine and mutual.
The show appears to be headed to a place where Subaru's world grows as he begins to open up and meet new people, but so far it is content to rely on the interactions between Subaru and his cat as its strength. Overall, if you just want fluff with a dose of feels on the side, this one's a good bet.”

Egao no Daika

A Perspective, courtesy of MapoTofuMan:

Must Watch It
“The Price of Smiles is the tale of a girl named Yuki, born on a planet far, far away. A girl who happens to be the princess of one of the two kingdoms on that planet, and, despite losing her parents early in her life, is surrounded by love from all sides - her childhood friend is always there to make her smile, and her advisors have always been there to bear the brunt of the responsibility that comes with running a kingdom. They've been successful in their efforts - Yuki grew up (well, not really, she's 12) to be such a fine genki girl that you'd think her favorite pastime was drinking tea with cake after school.
If everything up until now sounds great to you, you might also want to check out Endro~!, because the ominous title of this show seems to be strongly against it turning into the seasonal CGDCT.
The strongest point of this show is that once it gets going - it doesn't pull any punches, and so far each episode has kept me on the edge of my seat better than the previous one. The Price of Smiles does indeed stay true to its title - smiles have a price, and although I can't tell you what it is since they won't accept my writeup with spoilers in it, I highly recommend that you give this show a try and find out.”

Another Perspective, courtesy of Kingofthered:

Watch It
“Egao no Daikia - The Price of Smiles - is trying something interesting. We're introduced to a young and innocent princess of an advanced society in Yuuki, with many advisors and friends to help her happily lead. But as conflict grows between two kingdoms over an advanced power source, we learn this is not the cute slice of life I was thinking it was. Rather, this is becoming a series about war and what it means. A few episodes in we are introduced to Stella, the secondary protaganist on the other end of the war. Where Yuuki grew up happy and sheltered, it is made clear Stella has not had that luxury.
The series thus far has had nice, if not entirely unpredictable, turns on expectations. It's not totally clear where it's going and with a focus on both sides of a conflict, some cute moments but a heavy amount of "fantasy reality" it has gone from a barely-on-my-watch-list to one of my most looked forward to series this season. If an anime original featuring a mixed bag of action, mechs, slice of life and likely coming-of-age and politics sounds even a bit intriguing, I'm confident that the first 3 episodes of this won't disappoint.”

Endro~!

A Perspective, courtesy of Twilight_Sniper:

Must Watch It
“Endro is the cute show of the season, likely the whole year, and one I look forward to each week. If ever it were possible to get diabetes from a TV show, this would be the one to do it. The voice acting is top quality. Seems that's what happens when we combine the main actors from Comic Girls, Gochiusa, Nozaki-kun, and Monster Girls, then tell them to make an adventure show as cute and enjoyable as humanly possible. The character dynamics give off some Konosuba vibes, but instead of comedy they ooze cuteness, with relatively little fanservice. Animation is solid too, like if KyoAni created a magical girl show with cute original character designs.
The story follows a party of 4 female adventurers in a fantasy RPG world, each with their own distinct melodramatic quirks but adorable in their own ways. Things don't quite go according to plan for the heros (or teacher), but they always stumble right into success just by being cute, and it feels natural. If you dislike cute things, this might be the thing to change your mind. If you do, you'd be shooting yourself in the foot by skipping this.”

Another Perspective, courtesy of zenoob:

Consider It
“After an intense fight, the Hero's party finally slay the Demon Lord and bring peace upon the world!
Or so it should have been. Except we can always count on Namori to be tied to projects filled with silliness, fun and cuteness, and this one is no exception. Unlike last season's more serious and action-oriented Release the Spyce however, Endro takes a much more lighthearted and satirical approach to its RPG setting, freely throwing jabs at its genre, pointing out tropes and toying with them.
The Hero and his friends are actually all cute moe girls, all with familiar personality traits. Mather, the mage is a massive nerd with a deadpan humour (very reminiscent of Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou's Chii-chan especially thanks to Minase Inori lending her voice to both characters), Yuusha the Hero is the pink haired airhead, Fai the warrior is the genki (cat-like)girl who eats far too much, Seiran the Elf is the straightman of the groupe with a weird obsession for horned gorillas. And obvously, our good old Demon Lord is a loli... It wouldn't be complete without this!
There is nothing groundbreaking in this, but if you want to have fun watching anime and your weekly fix of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things on top of some RPG satire/parody, Endro is definitely your best pick this season.”

Gotoubun no Hanayome

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
Where Lou Bega of “Mambo No. 5” fame had Monica, Erica, and the like by his side, Uesugi of Gotoubun no Hanayome instead has Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki. The former is a studious dude without any money, and the latter are quintuplets whose failing grades contrast with their immense wealth. He needs them, and they need him. Thus, a new rom-com harem begins.
At its core, the show is rather simple: Uesugi supports one of the five girls (per episode) and kindles his relationship with this next stubborn girl. Which leads to the positives. Voice-acting performances are swell. Cute moments pop up now and again. And the characters and vibe of the anime are likable and wholesome due to him encouraging and listening to the women and how they in turn individually respond to his presence.
Many negatives within this show counteract such positivity. The artistic quality dips too low too often to ignore. The comedy lands in a poor spot as well when its timings and its jokes often fail to hit the mark. And while an end is obviously obtained, the actual romance doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.
Altogether, only a little bit of “quintessential” is all one needs.

Another Perspective, courtesy of walking_the_way:

Watch It
“I initially passed over Gotoubun no Hanayome due to its harem tag. Rom-coms are extremely subjective, and this season already had Kaguya-sama. Then I was asked to review it. With some trepidation, I started the anime, and was immediately greeted with an opening marriage scene.. what?!
As it turns out, both the anime and manga start off with a flash-forward, planting the seed that Uesugi, the protagonist, will eventually marry one of the titular quintuplets. Which one exactly, is unknown. Back in the present, he meets the five capricious identical sisters that all require his tutoring. But they're simply not interested, and hilarity ensues as he struggles to figure them out while they circle him, eyeing him warily.
I warmed up toward the show because Uesugi isn't a stereotypically incompetent harem MC, and the sisters share a fun chemistry. While there hasn't yet been much romance, Gotoubon no Hanayome's unique premise opens the door to potential situations that can set it apart from other rom-coms, and I hope it continues to explore this avenue well.
Several side plots have already reared their heads, and it's obvious that the show cannot possibly resolve the marriage mystery within this season. Yet, the first episodes have at least convinced me of its potential, so I'm curious where the story will go from here!”

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen

Banjo’s Perspective

Must Watch It
“All is fair in love and war,” but what if love was war? That’s the question Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen posits to the audience in hilarious fashion as Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane commence a battle of wits.
Their skirmish tests their mettle and their hearts as they attempt to usurp each other in snippets. Nothing is off the table: trickery, mind games, deflection, suggestion, planning. In a way, the ends justify the means here, creating comedy filled with funny payoffs by visual gags, reactions, meta humor, catchphrases, darker jokes, cuteness, and extended ideas.
It only gets better from there. A mostly centralized setting allows the artistic direction to go all out with imagination and style galore. The audio elements, from the great voice acting to the amazing ending track featuring the adorkable Chika, improve the presentation again. And it can even showcase a more worthwhile side of itself when it reels in the comedy in favor of sincerity.
The only foreseeable issue is the looming sense of repetition that could settle in if the anime rests for even a second. That doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, though, so it’s pretty safe to confess that this war is downright lovable.

Another Perspective, courtesy of pittman66:

Consider It
“Kaguya-Sama is a rare case where it's faithful to its source, but the problem is that it does not adapt well into an anime. The manga is over the top, has a hilarious WWE announcer, and for its psychological games has a lot of romantic cuteness to it, and I enjoy it immensely. The anime is much the same, sounds great, right? Instead, it ends up showing its shortcomings. It's more apparent that they barely have a change of scenery, at full episode length it's tiring to listen to the narrator and over the top style over and over again, and there's a certain desire with all these stories sort of connection to show some progression. The problem stems from is how it tells the manga story. It's not an uncommon episode format way to do multiple short stories within an episode, like with Asobi Asobase, Mitsuboshi Colors, or Nichijou. What I find it lacks compared to those is its variety. Save for the last story of episode 3, there's little variety, it's all over the top psychological mental fights, and little time to warm up to the characters.”

Kemurikusa

A Perspective, courtesy of wowitsmade:

Watch It
“Kemurikusa tells the story of a group of sisters and their quest to find water on one of the various islands present in their world along with the threat of bugs that pose a danger whenever they’re around. However, they are aided by a leaf known as Kemurikusa that provides them powers and other abilities. Oh great, another generic plot with nothing much to showcase. However Kemurikusa throws in a curveball: the emergence of a new character, Wakaba, who threatens the mere existence of these gi— oh wait, is he even a bug?
With Wakaba, the girls soon wonder where he came from, what his intent is, and more importantly, whether he is a human or a bug: is a human what the girls are, or is it was Wakaba is? Soon, Kemurikusa becomes a journey to find water while at the same time exploring the past of all the characters — especially Wakaba.
Three episodes in and Kemurikusa has done a damned good job at world building, detailing the struggles the girls have had just trying to get more water, describing the purpose of the bugs, and how their world came to be. Honestly, it feels akin to Girls Last Tour, and while it is CGI, it isn’t bad at all and exemplifies the eeriness of the world with a soundtrack that further cements the idea of the desolation at hand.
Watch Kemurikusa. While definitely not AOTS, it is already shaping up to be this season's underrated show.”

Another Perspective, courtesy of badspler:

Consider It
“Kemurikusa follows a family of girls with who fight weird ‘bugs’ and survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Kemurikusa is being produced by Kemono Friends' former anime director and studio. With that however comes a level of CG that will turn many away from this show.
The strongest point of this series is the interesting world and characters. Both are tied well into each other. Similar to the likes of Girls Last Tour, the show makes good use of its post-apocalyptic setting, taking its time to reveal atmosphere and mystery elements. The OST is good and this benefits the setting and atmosphere. The pacing of the show is slow, but progression is consistent.
The male lead has been more of an audience insert and plot device than his own character so far. The other characters feel unique and have an interesting mesh of abilities that tie well to into the mostly unknown world.
This series is carefully going to dish out information in a show don’t tell manner. If you enjoy slower shows that focus on world building and characters, can stand CG and are not satiated by everything else this season has to offer, consider giving Kemurikusa a try.”

Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
Cars dominate the land, and boats rule the sea, but, in the air, planes reign as king. Or perhaps more relevantly for Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai, they reign as queens. Kirie, Reona, Zara, Kate, Chika, and Emma are the ace pilots of the sky, defending towns and stopping pirates as a tightknit group.
Saying that this anime “contains planes” belies how much it embraces them. A large chunk of the story to date has focused on the high-flying skirmishes that the crew and the evildoers take part in. The aerial dynamics. The multiple perspectives. The detailed sound-effects. All of which combine to make these segments impressive and exciting to watch. Not to mention that a post-apocalyptic setting of sorts adds another layer to the narrative, the script has a not-so-serious angle that boosts its appeal, and the heavy CG use has its own charm.
Yet two problems persist. First, a tad-too-fast pacing affects the flow of events. And second, both the story and the characters lack a lot of weight in a writing sense, so its current course remains a mystery. Even so, these skilled ladies may just obtain magnificence over the horizon.

Another Perspective, courtesy of ErinaHartwick:

Watch It
“From the brilliant minds behind Shirobako comes a story about the adventures of six fighter pilot girls in a barren wasteland.
The premise is rather simple, there's a client, there's a job and under their gorgeous superior's orders, the Kotobuki Flight Corps are on it and in the skies fighting to get the job done.
The show's main appeal is its characters. Each scene (especially ones with our main cast) is made upbeat with enjoyable back and forth and witty banter. The girls have distinctive personalities that make for good interactions, be it Kylie and Chika arguing about who is more impulsive and careless, Kate on the side spouting trivia, Zara's ability to handle her liquor and Reona's shtick about working out. The interactions are so fun you could go an entire episode without a single dogfight.
That isn't to say the dogfights aren't interesting, because they are. The aerial battles are reminiscent to Girls und Panzer. There's the standard militaristic OST in every aerial battle scene, but it's made light and whimsical enough to remind you that this show isn't quite about war, it's about six young fighter pilot girls and how they outmaneuver their opposition and learn to work together as a team. If you’re looking for a fun show with a good cast, then give Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai a try, it’s as good as pancakes!”

Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
As some in the community may know, being a magical girl isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, what with the occasional tale targeting dark forces and even darker results. This twisted approach contrasts with the happy optimism the subgenre normally touts in the moment. But what about after all is said and done instead?
In comes Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka, a project that follows a young woman named Asuka who desperately desires to leave her magical-girl past behind her. By going with this approach, an exploration on fear, PTSD, and other psychological trauma manifests as Asuka refuses to go back to her old life and as new events grip the supporting cast members too. The extreme violence and the “cutesy” enemies exacerbate these sorrowful thoughts and fall in line with the mood of the narrative.
An intriguing concept for sure, but the rest of the anime has a tough time keeping up. The artistry is low in quality, the music perhaps relies on a singular piano tune overly so, the infrequent comedy bits come off as out-of-place, and the meat of the plot has yet to solidify into a concrete shape.
Still, the underlying motif and relevant themes have enough to operate within a special niche.

Another Perspective, courtesy of gamerdam1337:

Watch It
“My introduction into the magical girl genre is one of the more well known entries in it; Madoka Magica. A show famous for its shocking twist and ultimately becoming a deconstruction on the genre. Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka is not afraid to put its true intentions on its sleeve of being a very dark deconstruction.
By the end of episode 3 themes of PTSD, murder and torture are on full display. This show is unflinching in its desire to stare down reality of a world with magical girls in it. A world where they are not a secret but heroes. Relationships are in full swing with a predictable cast setting the stage for strong archetype breakdowns and subversion. The world building is coming along at a brisk but controlled pace, letting us speculate and be surprised.
I definitely recommend this show. The show is promising us with another look into a world of magical girls with a dark realistic spin. I don’t think it could ever top Madoka Magica but could very well become a classic magical girl deconstruction, in its own ~~darkness~~ light.”

Manaria Friends

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
Most people are no strangers to high fantasy. Magic, dragons, princesses. Well, take these three traits, mesh them together, place them in a medieval university, and frame it as a slice-of-life anime. The outcome will be darn close to Manaria Friends.
The existence of this show has been known about for a while, but the wait is over, and the outcome may or may not coincide with expectations. Fifteen-minute episodes put this story as neither short nor standard in length but rather somewhere in-between. It features two ladies – Anne the prodigy wizard and Grea the shy dragon girl – as they share an unlikely friendship amidst unlikely scenarios.
That’s the crux of the show; not a whole lot more can be said about it. Whatever drama or action it instills cannot be deemed engaging, and deeper writing will probably be avoided throughout its run. Nevertheless, the varied background art and the yuri undertones are at least appreciated in their consistency.
It’s simply an average, solid project from the get-go that one can also be friends with if he or she so wishes.

Another Perspective, courtesy of messem10:

Watch It
“Manaria Friends is a long time coming. Initially announced in 2015 for release in 2016, it was a series many thought was scrapped. The extra time since announcement shows with vibrant and detailed backgrounds along with animation work reminiscent to that of Kyoto Animation.
Manaria Friends, at its core, takes a fantasy world and uses it as a backdrop for a slice of life that details the interactions between two princesses, Anne and Grea, and their races, human and dragonborn, respectively. With such a unique setting, it is a character unto itself, as you have all of these races with their own cultures and tastes coupled with magic. Putting this all together leads to a very different sort of show, unlike many in recent memory.
While the series is based in the world of Shingeki no Bahamut, there is no need to be familiar with them to be able to enjoy this. Since the episodes are half-length, it is a definite "Watch It" should the premise interest you.”

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

Banjo’s Perspective

Consider It
Underdog stories are the cornerstone of audience-cheering events, and Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari argues for this near-truth once again. Starring Naofumi Iwatani as the titular Shield Hero, he finds himself whisked away to a world where he and three other weapon-centric men must save its people from imminent doom. Unfortunately for Naofumi, doom rears its ugly head closer than believed, forcing unwanted infamy onto his journey from the very beginning.
Controversy aside, this project has its fair share of interesting facets. Bringing on Raphtalia as his sidekick, the sword to his shield, has made for a cool dichotomy in their personalities and their fighting habits. The small amount of world-building towards the society, the land, and the underlying video-game aspect has been no doubt beneficial. And, in general, it’s just a ton of fun to root for Naofumi’s success as he “sticks it to the man”.
The rest of the anime lags behind. Weak writing from low buildup, quick backstories, and lame reasoning plague some of its areas. The artistry and the music are not the most noteworthy as well. Plus, its fighting scenes rarely shine.
All that being said, with a theme on “actions speak louder than words” in full effect, this project has a shot at rising to the top sooner rather than later.

Another Perspective, courtesy of HyruleCool:

Must Watch It
“The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of shining instances of the isekai genre done right. Naofumi (the Shield Hero) is a great and doesn't follow suit with the clumsy or ignorant oaf trope that most tend to in this genre. He leads a great example that being a good hero isn't just about being physically strong, but having quick wits and the will to fight for others regardless of what they think of you.
The world isn't all that unique either outside of one small trait and the animation is nothing spectacular, but it is at least a fitting setting for its somewhat dark tone. Not to say the animation is bad though. The art direction can be pretty good at times (mainly the more action oriented scenes).
The Shield Hero’s journey so far is an engaging one with a interesting story, some great action scenes and characters that will most likely leave you wanting more.”

Another Perspective, courtesy of youkai94:

Consider It
“~~Shieldbro~~ Naofumi is summoned in your average isekai world. This new world is not as good as you would expect though and Naofumi will find himself in a spiral of darkness that will test how strong his mind is and how long he can uphold his morals.
The good: from the same studio as Made in Abyss (Kinema Citrus) and the same composer (Kevin Penkin), you can expect quality music and art.
Naofumi is a great character, he changes quite a lot and plays the role of the Byronic hero (kinda) pretty well and kind of carries the show. Raphtalia is pretty good too.
Now the bad: Aside from the two MC, the other characters are mostly bland, some feel like nothing more than plot devices to trigger Naofumi.
The author does a good job at telling the story she wants and setting up a world to accomodate it, but kind of fails to give depth to it: She shows us a good event and then time-skips to the other one, which prevents us to see the charactrs grow with our eyes. Plus, we only get to know the bare minimum about the world for the story to make sense.
I would consider it since it brings a refreshing story compared to other isekai and pretty good MCs, also the art/music are great, but don’t set your expectations too high: the writing sometimes falls flat.”

Yakusoku no Neverland

Banjo’s Perspective

Watch It
In Yakusoku no Neverland, Emma, Norman, and Ray live with a bunch of other kids at an orphanage. They eat hearty meals, they have classes in the afternoon, and they play outside without much care. Mother looks after them all the while, making sure her flock never strays too far. A quaint life for everyone involved from what can be gleaned.
But an ominous atmosphere, a foreboding sense of dread that things aren’t quite right lingers in the air.
With its first episode, this project establishes its main trio, its thrill-filled direction, and its writing strength, letting the audience understand immediately what’s in store. This empowered state carries into the following episodes, too, as the art and the plot developments up the ante ever further.
Not that everything goes its way. The characters tend to speak their thoughts aloud despite the secrecy demanded of them, and the suspension of disbelief required for the “game” the kids must win borders on impossible. Being so nitpicky, however, does a disservice to the great voice acting, the distinct moments, and the fairness of the narrative displayed.
That is to say, this home-away-from-home tags in as a promising outing.

Another Perspective, courtesy of Oscand:

Drop It
“Anime and Horror doesn't have the best of relationships. As a big horror fan this saddens me, so when people said that this was going to be great I was extremely excited. This is exactly why it pains me to give this a bad review. The show takes a tried and tested concept and does exactly what you would expect it to do. If you have even seen a few horror movies, you will be able to quite quickly figure out what will happen, and there was nothing I didn’t see coming in the three first episodes. At the same time all the character designs make the characters look wierd. Their faces have been squished, and there is something with the geometry that feels awfully off. Even though this is the case, you can feel that there has been a lot of love put into this show. The production values are great, and there is still a lot of potential to make something great out of this. Unfortunately, as it stands with the current story I just can’t recommend anyone to pick this up knowing there are more fun subversive shows out there that doesn’t just stick to the same tried and tested formula”
Banjo's Top Three Picks:
1 Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
2 Dororo
3 Yakusoku no Neverland
Volunteer Consensus:
(General estimation based off every potential volunteer and their feelings across all anime)
Tier 1 (Mostly “Must Watch It” Range):
Dororo
Yakusoku no Neverland
Tier 2 (Mostly “Watch It” Range):
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
Endro~!
Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue.
Egao no Daika
Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai
Domestic na Kanojo
Manaria Friends
Tier 3 (Mostly “Consider It” Range):
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Gotoubun no Hanayome
Boogiepop wa Warawanai
Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka
Kemurikusa

What really happened to Michael Jackson.

Okay, here's the craziest truest story in the world: the Michael Jackson allegations were a set up by a man you've likely never heard of called Victor Gutierrez.
He comes from Chile and moved to the US in the 80s where he claims he infiltrated a NAMBLA meeting and heard that after seeing MJ's relationships with kids, they wanted to make him a poster boy for their cause. Source He's given various accounts of how he "infiltrated" NAMBLA that are bogus, for example claiming he'd worked undercover with the LAPD. We called the LAPD and they've never had anyone by that name or SSI (which we found through a lawsuit involving MJ) who worked for them. The likely reason: he was there because he too is a NAMBLA member.
So he became obsessed with Michael. He started trying to track down anyone who worked at Neverland and any family he saw spend time with MJ in public. He managed to meet the Wade Robson family in 1992 and told them he was investigating MJ for being a pedophile, they reported him to MJ. MJ likely just figured it was a normal kook and ignored it. Perhaps the biggest mistake of his entire life.
In mid 1993 after MJ had befriended the Chandlers, the father who wanted to become a big time screenwriter, suddenly became obsessed with Michael abusing his son, according to their own story, before MJ had even started abusing him. Source Phonecalls started around May 1993 to the National Enquirer's tipline claiming in fact that MJ was abusing this child. Every week a journalist there told us they were getting these calls with more info. Source They didn't print it because they had no proof. This was just as the Chandlers would later claim MJ had started abusing Jordan. So either the caller was psychic, had extrasensory perception or something else was going on. At this point for example that Evan wasn't even around Jordan that much. They only spent a weekend together at the end of May. Source Importantly, the Chandler family had been seen in public with MJ to the point the Enquirer had written a story about them at the start of May, so if anyone had wanted to look up information to try and track them down for stories or info in the way say someone had done with the Robsons, they could've done. Evan also would've therefore known how to get a hold of the Enquirer should something pressing like the idea his son was being sexually abused by a superstar turn up, because surely that's the phonecall you make first before calling the police, a psychiatrist or even your lawyers.
MJ started investigating Evan at this point because he was making all kinds of weird threats and demands, like asking him to build an extension to their home. MJ refused. Jordan's step father and Evan were taped around mid June where Evan claims he's got "people in place" waiting for a phonecall to happen to unleash his plan. That Michael Jackson won't know what's going to hit him. "If I win, I get everything I want. They will be ruined forever." Contrary to the later idea this family were shy of the cameras, he states on tape he wants this to be as public as possible. He's asked if he knows if MJ has abused his son, he says he has no idea. That his welfare is "irrelevant" to him. Source He's never claimed to have evidence of any of this abuse, not at the time, not later, yet he's utterly convinced that when this goes public there will be more happening that will condemn Michael.
Evan would claim a few weeks later he drugged his son with sodium amytal in order to get him to admit he'd been abused. This was a very convenient choice of drug as it would make all testimony he gave inadmissable in court as that drug makes people highly susceptible. That would mean Jordan would never have had to take the stand, and if he ever did, that it wouldn't be considered trustworthy testimony. Source Evan had previously demanded MJ pay him $20 million for 4 movie scripts he'd written, MJ refused. Evan lowered his demand to $1 million at this point, Michael Jackson still refused to pay. If he were throwing money at children and parents surely at this point this would have been the time to pay the money and make the whole thing go away. Evan brags in his book if he'd only paid this then, he wouldn't be known as a child molester to this day. Instead of reporting this to the police himself like any normal parent, he instead took Jordan to a psychiatrist who was legally bound to report this. Again, this was a convenient plan because it meant Evan couldn't be sued for making false allegations as they were reported by someone other than him. For child sex allegations it seems impressive how highly organized and well thought out this all was in order to not have Evan potentially liable, as though Evan for some reason had been convinced the entire time he could be sued for extortion.
The week the story broke the Chandlers sold the story to the National Enquirer. They would later claim they didn't take MJ to court because they were scared of all the PR. Yet it would seem they had been trying to take this to the National Enquirer since before Evan had even drugged his son to confess abuse, then sold a story the second it became public.
At this point our friend Victor Gutierrez is going to the journalist Diane Dimond claiming he has all this info about these allegations and she brags he's her best source. How does he have all this info? Who was he in contact with? What did he impress her with that she thought he had links to the Chandlers and others? A man named Rodney Allen starts messaging Dimond from Canada once a week claiming that a Jackson family member had abused him. He's ignored because he comes off mentally unwell.
Disgruntled employees suddenly sell their stories to Diane Dimond and a couple of other places, claiming they'd witnessed MJ in the shower or touching three boys: Culkin, Wade, Brett Barnes. Conveniently none of them claims that they witnessed the main victim in all this, Jordan, being abused. This would mean the chances this would go to criminal court would be lower as there was nothing but one word against another. Neverland has become seen as this place where all this sexual abuse took place, and yet interestingly and in a manner that is incredibly under reported, Jordan Chandler never claims he was abused there. Evan Chandler would say he believed Neverland was bugged, so it would seem he believed Neverland was bugged and therefore MJ never attempted to abuse a boy in a place he had full control over and could delete tapes/audio etc if need be. In a lawsuit against Michael Jackson, these employees would claim they'd been fired for "knowing too much about MJ's relationship with boys", though earlier they had also told police they'd seen nothing. In the lawsuit we find out that they had all interacted with Victor Gutierrez. They say he'd helped them with their lawsuit, they would also say he'd put words into their mouths and said things they hadn't claimed. Michael Jackson wins the lawsuit against these employees as they are shown to have stolen from MJ, lied, sold stories about him and at one point the judge even left the bench in disgust at them. Source // Source
Every single witness to any abuse had a connection to Victor. Was Victor just catnip to child abuse witnesses? How did they all know what to say and who to call?
Gutierrez is claiming in Chile that two kids were abused by Michael in Argentina, I believe. That claim isn't heard of again. Then in December of 1993 he contacts the FBI to tell them that they had investigated Michael for sexually abusing two Mexican boys in 1985, but that it had been overlooked because Michael was receiving an award from the president. It was actually the previous year he'd received that award, but the FBI looked up their files and could find no such investigation had ever taken place at any point ever. I believe Victor would later claim that it was an FBI fact that there had been an "investigation" by the FBI into these allegations based on the phonecall he had made himself. So he was hard at work here attempting to create victims and FBI trails and reports into MJ abusing children. Source: in the FBI files Victor refers to himself as a journalist
So MJ strips naked, has Neverland raided, 2 condos in LA raided, all while he's been away on tour for 2 weeks. They find nothing. Bizarrely it was the prosecution who submitted a multiple choice to MJ to either hand over the photos of his naked body, submit to taking more photos or have the photos barred from court. They wanted MJ to make the choice to bar the photos so they could claim MJ wanted to hide something, because obviously there was no way he'd take more photos or hand them over to them. Jordan who was Jewish had claimed MJ was circumcised, he was not. The Chandlers would later include a draft version of what Jordan had claimed in a book, where they have a little box which states "My theory".... There are mentions to a secretary MJ had had called Orietta who was fired before MJ met the Chandlers, as well as creepy disgusting details about Brett Barnes. Orietta had been one of the people Victor had befriended and Victor had been obsessed for some reason with Brett Barnes. Source
MJ's forced to stop touring and enters rehab, he's then sued by 20 million for stopping the tour. His legal team wanted to settle and encouraged him to do this at this point, though he'd originally resisted.
After that, the case goes through two grand juries in the summer of 1994, they refuse to prosecute him. One states no damaging evidence had been found. They interviewed 30-100 children, 400 people. Apart from the Victor "witnesses" who went to the police, nobody has any info about anything.
A story breaks early 1995 by Diane Dimond that Michael's being investigated by the LAPD for a tape of him sexually abusing one of his nephews. Michael sues over this. The source of this claim is Victor Gutierrez. In court he would change his story numerous times and admit he had no knowledge of the tape or who the victim was, and in fact challenged Michael Jackson to produce both things for him. At this time he also publishes a book he claims is compiled of documents from the Chandlers, claiming detailed graphic accounts about the sexual abuse MJ did on children including Jordan. He includes the drawing that the Chandlers would later use on their website, depicting what MJ's genitals supposedly looked like according to them. The book is graphic and involves a lot of fecal matter, and also portrays the idea of child abuse as consensual and "loving" (Jordan never portrays it this way himself in his own interviews where he seems remarkably unbothered by Jackson, this is a story conveniently added by the NAMBLA attended and "boys and men can engage in sexually fulfilling relationships" proselytizer Gutierrez later). This book would be involved in the lawsuit and Jordan/Evan would give statements denying they had knowledge of any of it, but never once denying they'd ever met Victor. The judgement for this is in Michael's favour at 2.6 million. Victor flees back home to Chile and pays Michael nothing. Source
Evan and Jordan Chandler sue Michael Jackson again for 60 million. They threaten Jordan will testify this time around. Evan wants MJ to let him release an album called EVANstory where he wants to sing about his son's sex abuse. They provide monthly updates to the Enquirer about this. The case is thrown out of court and they're required to pay MJ's legal fees. Source
Around this time a Canadian boy starts contacting Diane Dimond to tell her he's been abused by Michael. He's very graphic and comes up with detailed layouts for Neverland and MJ's parent's home. He's able to identify MJ's staff by their photos. He does a drawing of Michael during their alleged sex act. They go up to speak to him, he continues with his story. There was an intermediary who said he'd be there and he never shows up. They manage to find out that this man is Rodney Allen. The same one who'd been messaging them previously. The boy breaks down and admits it was all a lie. Dimond never pursues this story, they never wonder how this child was coached to tell this or why Rodney would have done this, or even how odd and sinister it is that a boy is being coached to claim abuse by any other man. Source
In 1999 Rodney Allen is arrested for the sexual abuse of boys in a way which anyone besides Diane Dimond could otherwise have predicted. At that time he was posting on online forums obsessed with Michael, claiming he'd be caught for sexual abuse soon and sharing the numbers for the Chandlers and others in the case. He seems very mad at the uncle Ray Chandler, seemingly Victor and the Chandlers had had a falling out.
Around the early 2000s a story breaks in Chile about a case involving a man named Spiniak being involved in child sex abuse. Suddenly another victim comes forward. A boy who claims he witnessed that Spiniak was involved in orchestrating a child sex ring with a political party, and he'd participated in these orgies. The stories were incredibly graphic, at one point I believe he claims that a politician defecated into a child's mouth. The claims fall apart when it's discovered that our good friend the Chilean journalist Victor Gutierrez had paid this boy 20,000 pesos and bought him trainers before he came out with this story, that he's the only witness and that there's no other proof. Source
Victor would continue to be used as a "best source" by Dimond and Vanity Fair at this point, in fact Sneddon would say he believed Victor's book was accurate and would attempt to cross examine witnesses using some of the scenes depicted, which for example June Chandler contradicted.
So after Michael Jackson dies, some of us wonder about this Gutierrez. Why did he feature in almost every single allegation against Michael? Every witness was through him, every victim was someone he met at some point. How did that happen? How did this Canadian boy seem to know so much about Michael Jackson in order to make such a compelling case about being his victim? What are the chances some random kid who'd never been to the US could learn all of that? We find out about this Spiniak case, seeing he's coached a child for money previously. That the witnesses claim Victor had even claimed things they'd never said. Why was he invested in their lawsuit at all? How and where did he come up with all of that? How would a man like Rodney Allen with a mental IQ deficit seem so capable of organizing such a calculated thing and what would have been in it for him?
So we write to Rodney Allen in prison and ask him if he remembers his friend "Victor". We don't tell him Victor's last name. He writes us back about his old friend "Victor Gutierrez" and a spiel about Michael Jackson. He tells us that he's mad at Victor because he "and Evan Chandler" owe him money, but he doesn't say for what. The only thing of use Rodney's ever possibly tried to do that we can speculate is that via Gutierrez he coached a child to claim sexual abuse for them. Is that something Evan for example had wanted to back up his own allegations? (In the taped calls in 1993 Evan Chandler says he's already spent thousands of dollars to get "information" against MJ) He tells us that he knows that Michael was innocent and never touched Jordan Chandler. He blames Victor for his child abuse arrest and the fact that he had NAMBLA materials in his home. He tells us Victor had abused a boy in a hotel one time. Source
So there are at least two boys coached expertly by Victor Gutierrez into claiming abuse, both in such a convincing manner they did so to the police. Was Jordan also a victim of Gutierrez's coaching via Evan Chandler? Was Gutierrez also the man Evan had in place waiting for their plan to unfold?
Some of the graphic descriptions in Victor's book are believed by others, in fact they're on websites. One of the people running those sites had once bragged in 2011 of sending a link to the site to Safechuck, where they also asked him if it were true he got married in Neverland (a mistake based on one of MJ's other friends having gotten married there), and told him they understood he wouldn't say he was abused because he was still in love with MJ. Wade Robson had sent one of the links in an email to someone, but would later conveniently claim he didn't know what it was about (his memory flakes on and off it would seem). Safechuck has at least 5 I believe stories from his account that matches Victor's book. For example Victor claims that Michael had attempted to anally penetrate Jordan Chandler with a finger, but Jordan told him not to so MJ didn't. In Jordan's actual accounts to the psychiatrist/declaration he states MJ had never tried anything to him anally. So we know that's not even an account alleged by Jordan, yet Safechuck claims that exact same scenario happened to him in the exact same way Victor claims. Victor claims MJ gave Jordan a medallion, Safechuck claims MJ gave him a medallion. Not something Jordan claims. Victor claims MJ and Jordan had a "honeymoon" and were like a married couple, Safechuck claims they got married and had a honeymoon (Jordan definitely never claimed this, he describes him in his allegations as "just like a regular person"). Victor claims MJ would watch child pornography movies of children masturbating, Safechuck is the only person who suddenly claims he too witnessed child pornography movies with children masturbating. MJ's Neverland/condos/secretary's home/home of a manager were raided and including after his death his room was gone through, they went through all his computers and everything, could find no child pornography at all. Source: full detailed photos of a few of the books found in MJ's 10,000 book collection as documented by police The only person to previously claim such an extreme thing is Victor Gutierrez.
The case against Michael Jackson has been created by a NAMBLA member and at best pedophile obsessed man, Victor Gutierrez. He has a hand in almost every story. The only one he didn't have a hand in were the Arvizo's, and that was because he was still in Chile avoiding paying MJ what he owed. It's likely if Victor had been involved that the Arvizo's story would've been a little more convincing perhaps because he would likely have tried to create witnesses for them.
Now I want to say our belief here isn't that Victor Gutierrez met Evan and they concocted a plan together to extort Michael. But that Evan was also somewhat of a victim in this. He was a bipolar by all accounts pretty unstable guy. So we believe that Victor tracked Evan down as he did the Robsons, and told him that he was investigating MJ for being a pedophile. Evan is curious about this. So Victor likely started lying the way he would do in his book, claiming he had "proof" MJ had molested others and that they had told him so, and as Victor is very graphic and a huge fantasist and perhaps someone who has abused children too, he was able to give Evan some vivid descriptions. We believe he promised Evan proof about this and that when the allegations came out, this proof would materialize. Of course he didn't have it, so he had to create it using his witnesses and by trying to create victims like the FBI story, the video tape story and of course with Rodney Allen coaching a victim for them. Maybe the money he offered wasn't for the coaching but because he believed Victor would provide him real proof and Rodney was meant to be providing this "proof" in the form of an actual victim. Or maybe they knew at that point the jig was up and were trying to pay for victims because they desperately needed one to back up their story. Considering Rodney knew that Jordan hadn't actually been abused, they weren't really pretending about it in private.
This Gutierrez guy has been embraced by Diane Dimond, The Sun, National Enquirer, Hard Copy, Vanity Fair, Channel 4, Martin Bashir did a doc with him on MJ, and of course Sneddon and the prosecution. He is not some small potatoes guy, he has been drafting the stories about MJ with all these people, and likely others since the story broke in 1993.
Not a single journalist we've met ever went through Victor's past. Not a single one tried to work out what his deal was, why he was involved in every story, what his obsession and investment in this was about.
I'm happy to try and answer questions about any of this. And yes, everything I've said can be proven.

Manga plot that I came up with in a dream

Spine #6 - Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Film Facts and Discussion

Jean Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

JEAN MARAIS -- JOSETTE DAY
Spine #6, Available on Blu-Ray and DVD
France
1946
93 Minutes (1 Hour, 33 Minutes)
Black & White
Monaural
35 mm
1.33:1 Aspect Ratio

MEDIA

Theatrical trailer seen on the Criterion edition of Beauty and the Beast
BFI's 2013 trailer for the 4K restoration of Beauty and the Beast
Jean Cocteau's handwritten opening titles and credits
Artwork
Original Criterion cover
Criterion Blu-ray cover
French theatrical posters by Jean-Dennis Malcles
Write-ups
Roger Ebert's 4-star review of the film
The New York Times' review by Bosley Crowther in 1947.
Ratings & Accolades
IMDb: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Certified Fresh (Avg. Rating 8.9/10)
Metacritic: 92/100 based on critic reviews (8.3/10 User Score)
Ranked #26 in Empire magazines "100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010
Jean Marais won 2nd place for "Best Actor" at the 1948 Bambi Awards
Jean Cocteau won the Prix Louis Delluc French award for Direction in 1946
The film was nominated for the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.

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FILM ESSAY

By Geoffrey O'Brien
Out of the extravagant variety of Jean Cocteau’s work—the paintings and drawings, the poems, the plays and novels and memoirs, the opera librettos and ballet scenarios—it is likely his films that will have the most enduring influence, and among those, Beauty and the Beast (1946) will have the most pervasive effect. When it comes to “fairy-tale movies”—if such a genre exists as something other than a profit center for the Disney corporation—there is Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast and then there is everything else. It is a safe bet that no one who surrenders to it at an impressionable age ever quite escapes the distinct and disturbing enchantments it sets in motion.
It is also perhaps the most self-effacing of Cocteau’s works. His flamboyance and wit are placed at the service of the old folkloric tale by Mme Leprince de Beaumont; even as he adds his characteristic complications to the tale—giving the Beast a thoroughly earthly and unenchanted doppelgänger, Avenant, and adding a mythic dimension by means of a secret temple to Diana—he allows the pure force of the narrative to assert itself, as if he were content for once to figure as a kind of medieval artisan. An artisan among artisans: the film is virtually a showcase for the best in French production design (Christian Bérard), music (Georges Auric), cinematography (Henri Alekan), and costuming (Marcel Escoffier). Yet the net effect is, if anything, austere rather than lush, a tribute to Cocteau’s unerring sense that here the tale, with its mysterious imperatives, is everything.
The film is inescapably tied up with the war during which it was planned. Shooting began four months after the German surrender. The deprivations of the period account for the fact that it was not filmed in color, as Cocteau had wished—hard as it is to imagine the movie apart from Alekan’s black-and-white palette, with its careful distinction between a deceptively sunny ordinary reality and the Beast’s domain of night. This harshness in the background is perceptible in other ways as well. The storybook setting of a seventeenth-century farmhouse, into which we are ushered with the phrase “once upon a time,” is revealed within a few moments as a place of vanity and venality, cowardice and petty-minded squabbling, slaps and insults. It is a fallen world, in which Belle (Josette Day) seems to withdraw into a hermetic suffering amid the meanness of her elder sisters, the feckless opportunism of her brother, the moral weakness of her father, and the overtures of Jean Marais’ handsome and empty Avenant. The hellishness of this pictorially elegant but resolutely unmagical reality, further amplified by the implied rapacity of encircling creditors and moneylenders, makes it an unlikely setting for any conceivable “happy ever after.”
By establishing how truly oppressive is the world that Belle and her father inhabit, Cocteau makes all the more uncanny the discovery, by the harried merchant, of a passageway out of it, into the Beast’s realm. It is like the breaching of a seam, and we are carried through every part of the process: through the misty forest and up a deserted staircase, through the great door and, in the most otherworldly of camera movements, down the hall of human arms extending candelabra whose flames spontaneously flare up—a rite of initiation that loses none of its power from learning that it was achieved by filming the action backward, and that it was shot not by Cocteau but by his assistant, René Clément. You can play it back time and again without exhausting the sense of shock at having passed through some ordinary, invisible portal.
If this is magic, it is a shaggy, palpable sort of magic. As a true poet—whether writing verse or otherwise—Cocteau had a poet’s hard-earned mistrust of the merely atmospheric, decorative vagueness misnamed “poetic”: “My method,” he wrote at the outset of his journal of the shooting of Beauty and the Beast, “is simple: not to aim at poetry. That must come of its own accord. The mere whispered mention of its name frightens it away.” The result, of course, was a film that, as much as any other, has been praised as lyrical, almost unbearable in its ethereal gorgeousness, a triumph of the imagination—even when it may just as accurately be described as tough-minded, down-to-earth, ferociously unsentimental. If Cocteau’s film continues to breathe, as few have done, the air of the fantastic, it is because we sense at each moment that we are caught up in a process governed by laws, laws that may be difficult to explain or even articulate but that express themselves by the most concrete means: “Fantasy has its own laws, which are like those of perspective. You may not bring what is distant into the foreground nor render fuzzily what is near.” Like a ritual performed in order to produce results, not just to make the participants feel good, Beauty and the Beast moves through its phases undistracted by anything, focused only on the business at hand.
Any prettiness is incidental, mere drapery over darker and more archaic imperatives. The underlying structure is nearly pitiless, an intricately intermeshing machinery loaded with hidden traps. Cocteau has a logician’s respect for the orders of ritual and the cruel demands of ritual sacrifice. His “magic” has, from certain angles, the paranoid efficiency of a cosmic prison house in which miracles exist but only at a rigorously exacted price. The weightless happiness that is the perennial promise of both fairy tales and movies is to be attained at a cost measured out frame by frame, in a story more full of suffering than of wish fulfillment—and in which, indeed, the promise of ecstasy embraced in the moment of final metamorphosis quickly threatens to become a more banal contentment. Even as Belle and her prince (the Beast transformed into the double of the unreliable Avenant) soar into the sky, she seems already to realize that this is not exactly what she wanted. The instant reaction attributed to Greta Garbo captures perfectly the strange disappointment of the “happy” ending: “Give me back my Beast!”
In Beauty and the Beast, as previously in The Blood of a Poet (1930) and later in Orpheus (1950), Cocteau was able to realize the fantastic not as an escape from the real but as an extension of it, as its reverse side. He has no interest in Neverlands or Wonderlands. He approaches the paraphernalia of the fairy tale—those enchanted mirrors, keys, gloves—with a technician’s dispassion, no more taken aback by their existence than by the existence of trees or streams or horses or rose gardens, but endlessly curious about how they function. For Cocteau, “movie magic” is not a glib catchphrase. As a science of transformation, cinema becomes true alchemy. The mirror in The Blood of a Poet that becomes a splashing pool as one passes through it is not an illusion but an achieved reality; in Orpheus, the comings and goings between the realms of the living and the dead are rendered in a deadpan spirit of documentary observation. If magic requires the use of specialized equipment, for Cocteau that equipment includes the whole somnambulistic repertoire of the movies’ night side, from Meliès on out. When in watching Beauty and the Beast we think at one moment or another of Nosferatu or Metropolis or Dracula or King Kong, it is not with the sense that they have been imitated or self-consciously alluded to but as if their effective elements have been incorporated wholesale, as needed, by the resident shaman.
The magic is sexual throughout—a fantastic, but not in the least morbid or phantasmal, sex magic. What could be more direct and free of coyness than the image of the Beast drinking water from Belle’s hands, although it is so chaste that no censor could have ever assailed it? It is matched by the tactile immediacy of the moment when the grieving Beast presses his furry face against the fur coverlet of Belle’s empty bed. The irresistible effect of everything that happens after Belle enters the castle is tied to the pair’s aura of forbidden intimacy: her slow-motion advance into the Beast’s great hall, as she moves past the billowing white curtains and Auric’s music bursts out in choral ululations; her passage through the talking door, into the privacies of mirror and bed; the night wanderings in which she spies on the Beast in the aftermath of his nocturnal slaughters, while he stares in horror at his smoking hands.
The extraordinarily beautiful shot in which we see the Beast from behind, his head haloed in light, as he ascends the stairs with Belle in his arms, while on the other side of the screen, light streams through dungeonlike grillwork, conjures with gothic intensity the imminence of a sexual fantasy fulfilled, in a setting made for such fulfillment—a bedroom hidden within a castle hidden within a forest—and with Beauty delivered defenseless into the embrace of a Beast manifestly able to sweep away all resistance. The erotic force of the episode that follows is outdone only by the even greater emotional force of the restraint that stops him in his tracks and sends him rushing out of the room, saying, “You mustn’t look into my eyes.”
It is, of course, his eyes that we look at, glistening from within the multilayered makeup that cost Marais five hours of application each day, makeup so expressive that Marais’ real face seems a blank by comparison. We cannot shake the certainty that an actual creature has been introduced into the world, and the sorrow provoked by his disappearance recurs anew on each viewing. I doubt whether so solitary and tragic a figure has ever been so fully realized in movies before or since, and realized here not only through Hagop Arakelian’s makeup skills and Marais’ performance but through the universe created to form a context around him, made out of Cocteau’s words, Auric’s music, Alekan’s images.
As for Belle, she is, finally, almost as much of a cipher as the statue of Diana that breaks the spell by shooting an arrow into the rascally Avenant. When the Beast tells her, “You are the only master here,” he underscores the cruelty at the heart of Cocteau’s fable. Beauty is indeed the master of all the craftsmanlike skills brought to their highest pitch to realize this singular vision: a Beauty who may offer love or capriciously withhold it, a Beauty who wants only a rose—even if that rose may threaten death to anyone who gives it to her—a Beauty who may, after all, know herself least well and therefore never fully grasp her own all-determining power. Only in the mirror world of art can Beauty and Beast truly cohabit. And even for Cocteau, master of such a range of arts, what art but cinema—the magic mirror itself—could ever realize that cohabitation so persuasively?

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