~~~The review will have __6 Sections__:~~~ - Animation - Audio - Characters - Story - Enjoyment - _Spoiler Dedicated Section_ Each section aside from the _Spoiler Dedicated Section_ will get rated from __0 to 100__ and the overall rating will be the _average_ of those 5 scores. ~~~This will be the format for all my reviews.~~~

# ~~~Some Links Before We Start~~~ - [Anilist Page](https://anilist.co/anime/101317/BLACKFOX/) - [Crunchyroll](http://www.crunchyroll.com/blackfox/blackfox-blackfox-789392) - [Official Website](http://project-blackfox.jp/)

# ~~~Trailer~~~ ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ock16i_nw)~~~

# ~~~__Synopsis__~~~ After __Isurugi Rikka's__ family is murdered for her father's research, to get her revenge __Rikka__ abandons her name to become a ninja just like her ancestors. But when she meets another troubled girl named __Mia__, __Rikka__ finds that revenge can be a very difficult choice. Can __Rikka__ keep her vow for revenge when she finds new truths? Or will her newfound friends be more important after all?

# ~~~__Animation__~~~ __BLACKFOX__ is animated beautifully by [Studio 3Hz](https://anilist.co/studio/6069/Studio-3Hz), the animation is bright and colourful. The fight scenes are very fluid and at the same time, you always know exactly what's going on with the characters. I am personally not familiar with any of __Studio 3Hz's__ previous work, but the animation quality of __BLACKFOX__ tempts me to go and watch some of their other series. There is a CGI robot in part of the film, which especially feels clunky and doesn't move properly in the environment. I believe __BLACKFOX__ would have benefited as a whole to not use any moving/lifelike CGI such as what's in the anime. It would have looked so much better to be traditionally animated. Although it probably saved them a lot of money since __BLACKFOX__ was intended to be a series, and only transitioned late in development to be a film. If there were any other CGI elements in the movie, I didn't spot them so... The Animation is on par with many famous series and while it may not rival some of the more famous animated series (such as several works by __[Ufotable](https://anilist.co/studio/43/ufotable)__ or __[Kyoto Animation](https://anilist.co/studio/2/Kyoto-Animation)__ for example) but it definitely stands its ground against most series. # ~~~__[87 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

# ~~~__Audio__~~~ The audio was nothing special. But in that, the use of music was, for lack of a better word, _correct_. By that I mean the music was designed to draw out specific emotions in specific scenes/situations, and it did just that. Not so good that it would merit high praise (like [Made In Abyss](https://anilist.co/anime/97986/Made-in-Abyss/) for example) but it was always on point with the mood. It may not seem like much, but music quality in anime lately has declined generally (with exceptions of course). The voice acting was done very well, __[Ayake Nanase](https://anilist.co/staff/119626/Ayaka-Nanase)__ who voices __Isurugi Rikka__ the main character, does an exceptional job of bringing her character to life. Every line has some kind of feeling in it, however subtle. Although I was much more impressed with the voice of __Mia__, __[Haruka Tomatsu](https://anilist.co/staff/95890/Haruka-Tomatsu)__. Her voice portrays __Mia's__ complicated emotional state perfectly, especially towards the climax. Overall, the voice acting was exceedingly good, while the music was simply there, good enough to not be noticed, but not amazing enough to be noticed _(if that makes sense >.< )_. # ~~~__[74 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

# ~~~__Characters__~~~ The characters were mostly ok. __Rikka__, __Mia__, and the __AMD Series Robots__ were excellent and believable characters, however, I found that __Professor Lauren's__ madness was not very developed. The focus in __BLACKFOX's__ characters was mostly in the relationship and interaction between __Rikka__ and her friends __Mia__, __Oboro__, __Kasumi__, and __Madara__. In particular, the relationship and emotions between __Rikka__ and her murdered family, __Isurugi Allen__ and __Isurugi Hyoe__. While __Rikka__ loved her father and grandfather, it shows that she develops a great respect for her grandfather __Hyoe__, attempting to follow in his footsteps and become a ninja. Whereas inversely she had an immense amount of love for her father __Allen__. Somehow __Studio 3Hz__ manage to put a large amount of precedent for __Rikka's__ personality and the reason behind her actions in the first 15 minutes alone and then setting up her development throughout the movie in the next 10 minutes. Aside from __Lauren__ who felt slightly incomplete as a character, almost all the characters are great. They are introduced into the story in a good way and then develop through their interactions with __Rikka__. Slightly higher character development and better design than I had expected considering the genre and plot. # ~~~__[78 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

# ~~~__Story__~~~ The plot is very _"cookie-cutter"_. In that I mean it's a very commonly used plot and doesn't have any large differences from anime of similar genres. For more casual viewers, the plot is fairly decent. But more seasoned anime viewers will pick out the easy to predict plot and might even be bored by it. I think that __Studio 3Hz's__ focus was heavily on character development rather than the story. I believe that the story is built around the character's development. If you can look past the fact that the story is cliche, it is well-executed and everything feels like it's progressing the story, even if only by small amounts. There isn't much to say about the story, if you've seen an anime of a similar genre, then you are probably very familiar with the plot already and should just focus on the characters and animation. # ~~~__[54 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

# ~~~__Enjoyment__~~~ I am personally a semi-casual anime viewer. I watch anime in waves of binging and then I get bored and wait a couple of weeks before finding new series. Seasonal anime is usually the only thing I watch (and not many because I don't like most of them) except for now and then when I go and find a classic to watch _for the culture_. Because of this, I didn't notice the bland, predictable plot and I quite enjoyed the movie. The movie does have small bits of comedy sprinkled here and there to make the film feel more lively. But I think if you like deconstructing anime, and especially if you enjoy riveting stories, then __BLACKFOX__ is maybe not for you. I would definitely recommend this to casual viewers or anyone looking for some anime to pass the time without watching trash. # ~~~__[70 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

# ~~~__FINAL SCORE__~~~
# ~~~__[72 / 100](https://anilist.co/review/101317)__~~~

Thanks for reading my review. If you want, have a short look at my list (which I'm currently updating) and suggest something for me to review next! I would very much appreciate feedback as I would like to get better at reviewing anime. Thanks for reading this far xoxo (* ^ ω ^) beyond this point is the _Spoiler Dedicated Section_ so read that either if you want my complaints about __BLACKFOX__ >.< or if you've already seen it.

# ~~~__Spoiler Dedicated Section__~~~ Firstly, the hologram projection and suit towards the end of the film that __Rikka__ finds. Like how is it still sitting on the bench after the raid? Maybe I missed something but I doubt the assaulters would have left it there. Secondly, the suit design itself. It looks great right up until __butt jets__... Why? Why are there butt jets? not really a complaint but it sticks out to me so yeah why butt jets... Thirdly, I wish there was more information about __Lauren's__ research. They sort of just go "hey supernatural powers because... _science_". Even a couple lines of dialogue to vaguely explain away why no one else has discovered this technology or why no one knows about it. Surely __Lauren__ would have had to report his research to __GRADSHEIM__ right? other than that my only other complaint is the battle drone... why CGI? It doesn't look right in the setting, with that style of animation. And also, when __Rikka__ is fighting __Mia__ at __GRADSHEIM__, how is it she manages to dodge what appears to be lightning. And while it's believable that this mysterious power moves slowly, why is it then when she lost control due to the collar, almost none of that power was aimed at __Rikka__ even though I can only assume the collar was trying to get __Mia__ to kill __Rikka__.

the end and stuff xoxo

HannahElsayne