(Good) Rent-a-Girlfriend

Series in one sentence:
A love story starring another fine-looking character who's argued to be ugly, because designing an actual "ugly and unwantable" boy is not the anime way.

Series in more sentences:
A young man feels overcome with loneliness and yearns to win back the only girlfriend he's ever had, though for the time being, settles with using a service that lets you rent one.

A beautiful, seemingly perfect girl shows up to play the part, but a series of events create the misunderstanding with his family and friends that she is the real deal. They keep having to show emotional investment in the fake relationship, and it proves difficult to step out of the lies they've created.

When someone attends college, aren't they something like 18 to 20, or older? None of these characters looked like an adult. They were very clearly high schoolers.
I think the anime threw that detail in to make it alright for us to watch a boy furiously jerk off multiple times over photos of his ex. Which were absolutely pointless scenes to have.

Anyway, it was a good watch. Not perfect, it barely earned that good rating.
I would've liked it if the ex had a more prominent role, as she just kinda disappeared further on, and the ending itself was a cop-out. Lemme spoil that shit, because it doesn't even matter: The boy confesses to his new crush, but then immediately retracts it so that season 2 can happen.

Really, this needs a season 2, because it didn't feel like these two have known each other for a year, like the show claimed. Just saying they have doesn't mean anything.
The insertion of the two other girls crushing over him also muddled the story for me. We only need the boy, his fake girlfriend, and his ex, everything else is a third wheel.

(Average+) Kiki's Delivery Service

Movie in one sentence:
Kiki's Delivery Series.

Movie in more sentences:
A young witch starts on her one year internship and settles down in a beautiful city by the sea. After a minor struggle getting a place to sleep, a bakery owner shows her kindness by giving her a room and helps her with setting up her own business.

This wasn't a movie, but a TV series. Damnit, Studio Ghibli. I just want ONE movie from you. ONE movie I can give a thundering applause.

Even though I didn't review them for this blog; I've watched alot of Ghibli productions. Their work is seen as the crown jewel of anime, and I very much disagree with the sentiment.
The art style is cute and recognizable, the animation is gorgeous, but the stories are often undeveloped and as exciting as a nature documentary. The only Ghibli movies I'd watch again are The Cat Returns and Ponyo, and I feel ashamed by it, because it's like I'm missing something. Is it because I wasn't raised with these movies? Alot of people seemed to have watched them when they were children.

As for Kiki's Delivery Service, what exactly was the main plot here? Apparently not what the movie started off with, which was for this young witch to develop as a witch and find her main power. She has no powers. She flew around on a broom, playing postman, until she lost this very basic and simple ability. Why? No idea. Is it because witches are supposed to be kind and she's been a bitch to this genuinely kind boy for the entirety of the movie? Who can say, the movie doesn't give a real explanation and lets this random artist hermit, who Kiki's apparently best friends with, just blame it on "fatigue".
..Why even give the complete loss of someone's being an interesting reason, am I right?

Many of the minor conflicts in the movie didn't even get an ending;

A child immediately dumps the expensive birthday present he received in the mouth of his dog, and the whole family laughs about it. No one cares, no consequences.
Kiki discovers that the grandchild of this nice old lady is an ungrateful wench. No one cares, no consequences.
Kiki is invited to a party, but leaves the boy standing. No one cares, no consequences.
Kiki shouts this same boy down when his friends come to invite him over, because why be nice to him for longer than a minute. No one cares, no consequences.
Kiki's cat completely bails on her to get frisky with another cat. No one cares, no consequences.

It would've been easy to address these instances, and they just didn't.