ajnaresh Reviews

Hunter x Hunter (2011–2014)

Entertaining series similar to demon hunter

[8/10 · 15 December 2020]

Started watching this on Netflix. The first episode definitely is a great attention grabber providing a good peek into the protagonist and the story for the first season. I also liked how even though the main plotline changes (and introduces different antagonists)/between the different seasons the link to the main character remains continuous in a very fluid fashion. My main criticism is that several episodes in the final seasons do get slower and a bit overdramatic as compared to the pace of the first few seasons. Also some key characters in the final season seem to be specifically created and introduced to plug some holes in the plot. Despite the criticism, I would definitely recommend this show to folks who have watched and enjoyed anime like demon hunter, kabaneri of iron fortress, re-zero and similarly themed anime.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato (2019)

Story makes sense if you watch the main Kabaneri series

[8/10 · 22 November 2020]

While this series is okay as a standalone one on Netflix, it misses a lot of the backstory and the layout thats necessary to engage a viewer. So I started watching the original series and then watched this and things made a lot more sense and the story although not perfect is decent for a continuation from the end of the initial anime series.

Utopia (2020)

Definitely more fast paced than the British Original

[8/10 · 26 September 2020]

Not sure what all the negative reviews are about. I saw this on amazon prime and it was engaging enough that I had to watch all of it.

I then saw the original British version to compare. Overall, story arcs are similar, but this version is definitely more faster paced as well as darker and gorier.

Usually, I prefer original to remakes but this was definitely one of the few shows that had a close to the original adaptation with a more engaging direction and plot.

Elfen Lied (2004)

Dark and Somber Series with a haunting musical theme

[9/10 · 1 September 2020]

A captivating series. I couldn't put it down after I started watching. Very well written/directed plot.

The haunting theme music reminded me of Pans Labyrinth with somewhat similar dark themes.

If you enjoyed the anime series Erased, I think this would also be a great candidate.

Van Helsing (2016–2021)

Stars off very interesting with a pretty bad season 4 ending

[7/10 · 31 August 2020]

This show starts off with a simple plot and manages to create very interesting and attention grabbing story and character arcs. This continues even by the end of season 3. However, by the end of season 4, it unravels quite poorly. After that I didn't feel like the show can continue, but I guess they want to build on that poor ending with a new season.

Body Cam (2020)

Social Justice Horror Paranormal Movie

[7/10 · 29 August 2020]

Enjoyed the twists and turns of this movie's plot. Without giving too much away, this movie does have an underlying theme that is almost social justice driven.

Parasyte: The Maxim (2014–2015)

Didn't expect this to be so profound

[9/10 · 2 August 2020]

I just started watching this on Netflix recently as the synopsis seemed interesting, but the story was so engaging and also had so many deep underlying philosophical and existential themes that I ended up binging it.

If you like the anime like ponyo and grave of the fireflies (which are more family oriented fantastical ones) and want something more mature with themes that will make you ponder the meaning of life then definitely consider this show.

Another Life (2019–2021)

Only good episode is the last one

[6/10 · 31 July 2019]

When the series started out I had to fast forward through a lot of boring scenes and not that good story. The story in this series for the most part seemed like a very disorganized smorgasbord of existing plots from movie or TV series.

However, It does get slightly better towards the end of the series with couple of twists in the story which is the reason I am give it over 5/10.

Bird Box (2018)

A better version of "The Happening"

[7/10 · 27 December 2018]

If you want a redo from watching "The Happening"; this is the movie for you.

Warning: some spoilers below

You might remember "The Happening", where people randomly commit suicide, some in the most gruesome ways. That part is similar in this movie.

However, this movie lacks the bad acting and backstory from that movie. I think this movie has more creativity to it and better direction for sure.