Anime Reviews by Adrian

Toradora!
Review
javascript:void(0) PUT YOUR POST TITLE HERE
PUT SOME DESCRIPTION OF YOUR POST HERE
PUT YOUR POST TITLE HERE
PUT SOME DESCRIPTION OF YOUR POST HERE
PUT YOUR POST TITLE HERE
PUT SOME DESCRIPTION OF YOUR POST HERE
PUT YOUR POST TITLE HERE
PUT SOME DESCRIPTION OF YOUR POST HERE

Showing posts with label Tragedy. Show all posts

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora review

Publicat de Adrian On Wednesday, May 25, 2011 0 comentarii

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora Plot:

In a winter when he was in the second grade of the high school, Yuuichi was hospitalized because of hepatitis. Soon, he became so good as to be scolded by the nurse for going out of the hospital. One day, he happened to meet Rika, a girl of his age, in the next building. He was fascinated by her beauty, but she was very selfish girl. Although she led him by the nose, he began to be attracted by her. However, when Rika told him about her illness, he knew why she acted so selfish; she couldn't live long.

Alternative Titles
English: Looking up at the Half-Moon
Synonyms: Hantsuki
Japanese: 半分の月がのぼる空

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 6
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jan 13, 2006 to Feb 24, 2006
Producers: Group TAC, Pony Canyon
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora review

Story 8/10
Yuichi is a guy that's hospitalised when a girl named Rika arrives to the hospital. She as a seriously weak heart and she doesn't have much time to live if she don't gets a surgery really soon. The nurse that take care of Yuichi asked him to visit Rika and so he did. Yuichi and Rika became good friends and one night Rika tells Yuichi that she want to get to the top of a nearby mountain. Yuichi takes her there and at the top, he suddenly faints...

The very next day he wakes up at the hospital and he's back at square one.

And then, the real story begins.

Characters 9/10
Interest: Who can't help but be interested in Rika? She may be a little selfish, but she's absolutely charming. Yuuchi is one of the classical good guys, someone that we all wish we were a little more like. The secondary characters are all interesting as well - Dr. Natsume has his inner demons and Nurse Akiko has a rather interesting personality. Most of the other characters are so minor, they are pretty much stereotypical filler, but that is their purpose in the show. Hantsuki is primarily about Yuuchi and Rika, and it does an excellent job of making you interested in them.

Growth: Oh hell yes. Both Yuuchi and Rika. It's impossible to talk about it without giving away the crux of the plot, but...let me just say that neither one of them are unchanged by the time the credits roll. Even Dr. Natsume has changed a little by the end.

Animation 10/10
Character Design: The characters in Hantsuki are drawn very, very well. All are proportional, all are different, except there's a pronounced similarity between Yuuchi and Dr. Natsume - but I think that's deliberate. The animation and movement is very smooth.

Op/Ed: Very high quality. There's just a touch of softness to both opening and ending sequence that makes them both a little dreamlike. Some people may not like that style; I love it.

Artwork: Great artwork. Backgrounds are usually fairly simple, since the majority of the show takes place in a hospital. There are very very few still shots or reused sequences, possibly none. The only complaint is that maybe it's a little too simple, but the focus of the show is on the story, not the artwork.

Sound 10/10
Op/Ed: The opening and ending music are two of the best songs I have ever heard for an anime series. Perhaps even THE best. The opening is paced just right for the series, and the ending flows so perfectly with the sequence, it brings tears to my eyes.

Music: There's a few points where instrumental music comes out and really adds to the scenes, especially in the final episode. Otherwise, the music is unobtrusive.

Voices: I have to say that the voice acting was solid. Yuuchi has a good voice for a 17 year old who hasn't really completely grown up yet, and Rika has just the right inflection for her personality: selfish, teasing, reckless, caring. The voices for the secondary characters are fitting as well.

Conclusion: I feel that Hantsuki would be an excellent gateway series to watch with someone new to anime - it highlights a lot of the very best points of the genre without going too overboard with any. I cannot recommend this series enough. A tiny bit more polish, a little longer, and it would have gotten a perfect score from me. I <3 hantsuki.="hantsuki." span="span">

Ef - A tale of melodies review

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Ef - A tale of melodies Plot:

The anime once again tells two stories.

The first story takes place in the past. Himura Yuu meets a girl, Amamiya Yuuko who seems to know him, but he doesn't know her. However, he soon remembers that she was a girl whom he knew from long ago. Yuuko then tells him something which he never knew. He was her first love since then, and her first love has not ended yet.

The second story takes place in the present, just after the events of Ef - A Tale of Memories.. Kuze Shuuichi meets the cousin of Asou Renji, Hayama Mizuki and spends a lot of time with her. Unknown to Mizuki, Kuze had contracted a fatal illness and has little time left to live. Kuze had decided to break all romantic ties, but things go bad when Mizuki tells him that she loves him.

Alternative Titles
English: ef - a tale of melodies
Synonyms: ef - a tale of memories second season
Japanese: エフアテイルオブメロディーズ

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 6, 2008 to Dec 22, 2008
Producers: Shaft
Genres: Mystery, Drama, Romance, Seinen
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Ef - A tale of melodies review

Story 10/10
For a drama/romance I was surprised how well they linked the first and second season. Really it left me quite speechless but I think this was because the actual novel was written well and meant for it to be connected in this way. However the case the plot flows quite well and coherently. I think the only downside of both seasons was that every story always ended happy. They would always led up to very unfortunate and painful events but somehow make it happy again. I guess in a sense it was also the magic of the story, but if I had to compare this to real life I couldn't kid myself and think that any of this would actually happen.

Art 10/10
The art of this series is so rich and detailed, I would expect nothing less from the "ef" series, in fact just watching the opening scene with the paper airplane gliding along the sunset sky, is truly appealing for the eyes, as is the entire series. The character design (while nothing particularly new) is well distinct. I especially liked the eyes of the characters. The water effects that come from the ocean will seem to just glide across your screen so fluently. And the character animation and backgrounds are truly superb!

Characters 9/10
I really liked each and everyone of the characters, nobody ever came off as annoying, or would make you feel that they tossed one in just for the sake of doing so. I was especially captivated with the character "Kuze, " he is a musician with a quite interesting past, and the turmoil he goes through is quite sad--yet exciting at times. The character chemistry was a bit rushed for one of the couples, but seemed to be pulled off appropriately at the end. Since half of this title is all about back story, you get a pretty in depth look into the character’s lives and can really connect with just who they are, and will feel what they feel!

Sound 10/10
The first season featured some top notch Ost and theme songs and fortunately this season followed suit. The only thing I can say is the opening song was really similar to the original one and that didn't appeal to me as much. Other then that the music definitely kept me going. Throughout the series you hear this one specific violin tune that stands and it really sticks in your head. Its not very complicated but it definitely captured my heart and pulled me into the anime. The voices and sound effects were also just as good if not better then the first season. All the voices were kept the same and it was well done.

Value and Enjoyment 10/10
The complete anime together came as a package and watching the entire thing does give you a nice message. it really tries show the watchers that hope can be found no matter how bad a situation can get and push the watcher to continue to struggle for what they dream of no matter what. I think that it is an important thing and from watching the series it does leave some impact. I will probably consider rewatching this in the future to see if I have still find the story and characters so unbelievable. With all that being said I did enjoy this series. It was a really refreshing watch since I've been mainly watching love comedies and action animes lately. I really needed a serious one to change up my mood. I would recommend this to fans who like serious romance and dramas. So if you watch it hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

NHK ni Youkoso! [review]

Publicat de Adrian On Tuesday, May 24, 2011 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
English: Welcome to the N.H.K.
Synonyms: NHK ni Youkoso!
Japanese: N・H・Kにようこそ！

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 10, 2006 to Dec 18, 2006
Producers: Gonzo, FUNimation EntertainmentL
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Psychological
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Review:

Story 10/10

The main plot is about Tatsuhiro Satou who is living for a few years already as a so-called NEET (Not engaged in Education, Employment or Training) and hikikomori (someone who barely leaves his house and locks himself in his own room, hiding from society or even from the own family) in his apartment in Tokyo. One day he comes to the conclusion that he must be the victim of the evil NHK (Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai),an association existing in Tatsuhiro's mind, with has the purpose of making normal people to hikikomoris in order to look down on them. One day he makes the acquaintance of a young lady named Misaki Nakahara. Tatsuhiro thinks that she's part of the NHK. The fact that she seems to help him selflessly, encourages his thoughts about that evil organization and her membership. With his apartment neighbour and former schoolfriend Kaoru Yamazaki, he's producing a dating computer game for the time being which ends up in a lot of verbally violent conflicts. Further on Misaki tries to cure Tatsuhiro of his hikikomori-behaviour by giving him numerous lessons in the evenings on a bench in a nearby park.
The story lacks complexity making it easy and relaxing to watch. Although the story is not breathtaking and may become a little bit boring at some points, I'd still say that all in all it's still pretty good. Being a slice-of-life anime, the progression is moderate and action sequences are practical non-existing. The whole plot brings us nearer to the Japanese society and its many hardships which is an interesting topic in fact.

Characters 9/10

Satou is clearly the most important character. Maybe I'm missing the point and he isn't even supposed to be a hikkikomori. Maybe that's just his excuse for being so lazy or how he rationalises his lack of social zeal. Whichever way you look at him, he's incredibly interesting. Other characters remain excellent varied creations riffing on the ideas of loneliness, troubled pasts and awkward life-situations. Interestingly the most grounded character, Yamazaki-kun, is the one with the biggest obstacle to overcome - the impossible to over-play pull of Japanese familial responsibilities.

Animation 7/10

To add to what I mentioned about the palate and setting, the animation is sometimes very poor. Whether that is deliberate stylisation, or I just had the raw TV version, I don't know.

However, the character designs are nice, and the backgrounds and locations are well rendered and believable.

Sound 7/10

Nothing particularly special here (other than the mighty Odoru Dame Ningen): familiar voices which do a decent job (Japanese), and fairly standard OP and ED. I did like the OP's pleasant balance between Belle and Sebastian and BoA, but it was nothing to skype home about.

Enjoyment 10/10

I enjoyed every second of the approximately 8 hours long story and it seemed to me like one long-lasting movie (in a positive way).
Apart from the touching drama, the comedy is hilariously funny.
This series has definitely exceeded all my expectations and i could watch it over and over again!
Gonzo has demonstrated that it is in fact capable of producing magnificient masterpieces despite its numerous average shows.

Bakemonogatari [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Ghostory, Monstory
Japanese: 化物語

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 15
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 3, 2009 to Jun 25, 2010
Producers: Aniplex, Shaft
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Supernatural
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Review

Story: 6/10

The plot of the show sure adopts some innovative ideas. I must say I was quite impressed when I realized that what I had thought to be an opening in the first episode was actually a flashback. The problem with the overall story, however, is that it doesn't seem to lead anywhere. If you take awesome presentation away, all you are left with are some ghost stories at the level of Natsume Yuujinchou. I found it cool that some of them tie mysteries with word play, but I kind of doubt anyone without Japanese proficiency would care. Anyway one story ends, another starts and you are left wondering if something is really happening or not. Be it not for the awesome character wordy exchanges and linguistic inspired jokes, Bakemonogatari wouldn't have escaped boredom even with that awesome animation. Though I must say even the subbing group didn't seem to catch some of the jokes (I wonder how many I've missed, watched every episode twice though). Kanji expressions are also used from time to time to express the joke, or even to tie a plot point in one particular case, so I kind of believe people who know Japanese would certainly get more out of this show than the ones who don't. Maybe that's one of the reasons behind Bakemonogatari being labeled as the best show of 2009 in Japan (and I agree).

Anyway, unless the three following episodes will tie the plot up like in a real ending, the only really worthwhile plot point in this show which actually advances will be the romantic relationship between the two main characters. The greatness of their relationship is, of course, attributable to their original characteristics and clever dialogue. This might also be the vaguest romantic relationship I have ever seen as they cleverly center on a Tsundere, at least self-proclaimed, who never, even once, goes into extroverted mode. Freshness of the love story comes from the fact that it's so weird you are usually unsure if it even exists, as Senjougahara is unpredictable enough to make you unable to tell if she will confess next or stab someone in the face. However, it is certainly there, and the last episode finally proves that. You can at best guess what Senjougahara thinks, and I found that the most rewarding point of the plot.

Art: 10/10

Once again, SHAFT saves the day! SHAFT is well known for their artistic techniques to portray abstract scenes. Their other works, such as Ef - A Fairy Tale of the Two, are very much similiar. Bakemonogatari utilizes many, unique camera angles that are relevant or not relevant to what is being said. Such scenes could be the sky, cars, the character's hair, etc. Additionally, multiple screens and walls of text pop up to give the viewer a sense of abstract understanding.

Characters: 9/10

I must say that the mentally imbalanced cast of characters was the last thing I expected in the show from "ghost stories" genre. While Araragi comes off as perfectly normal most of the time, even able to pull out some common sense slapstick, his tendency to save anyone involved with the supernatural no matter what's the cost is certainly not very healthy. Though it took me a lot of insanity from other characters to account for that. The show, like no other ghost story I have watched, ties its paranormal side stories with the mental condition of the characters, usually with perversive themes even. There is an obsessive lesbian, older brother complex having loli, stressed out family abuse undertaking girl and so on. On the other hand, however interesting they are and however brilliant their dialogue is, side cast is still one step away from being fully fleshed out, mainly due to the series' short length. That hardly matters though, as the main heroine of Bakemonogatari is one of the best mentally imbalanced characters I have seen.

Even if you wouldn't account for some vague flashbacks relating to Senjougahara's past, you would still soon notice that she is, well, weird. Not eccentric weird, but like, dangerously weird. The fact that show at best hints at her condition and her real feelings doesn't stop her to come off as a living and charismatic character. There are certainly many characteristics which can make one fall for her, be it her extremely clever insults or eccentric behavior similar, but somehow different from usual tsundere archetype. However, I myself found her almost manic inability to speak her true feelings and those sparks of obsessive insanity the most attractive. She sure isn't your everyday tsundere, and her head is sure not normal, but damn, is she interesting. Anyway, I was really pleasantly amazed at how Bakemonogatari never let's the viewers unto their characters feelings easily, you have to interpret a lot to even guess what's going on in their weird heads. The only real complaint about Senjougahara would be that there isn't enough of her, she sure holds much more potential than she has used and hopefully the following three episodes will mark my words true.

Enjoyment/Overall: 9/10

Beside the story and character development-in-15-episodes, Bakemonogatari deserves a good two thumbs up. Also, for a anime having a tsundere female, I'd say it REALLY stands out from Shakugan no Shana or Zero no Tsukaima. Albeit the many interesting anime coming in 2009, Bakemonogatari is certainly something else. It's unique because it stands out from your traditional anime. It is as if Bakemonogatari is wearing a green shirt while the other anime series wear white.To put it bluntly, Bakemonogatari offers this sense of upmost perfect surrealism that is damn near addicting.

Clannad After Story [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
English: CLANNAD After Story
Japanese: ＣＬＡＮＮＡＤ ~After Story~ クラナドアフターストーリー

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 2, 2008 to Mar 26, 2009
Producers: Kyoto Animation, Pony Canyon, Sentai FilmworksL
Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Review

STORY: 10/10

I do not want to spoil a moment of this compelling story for you, but essentially this is the story of the beginnings and life of a family. So simple, yet the slow and emotional way in which it is presented is truly amazing to watch. The characters and music combine with the story and make its presentation even more astounding and emotional.

ART: 10/10

I absolutely love this art style. The animators will take their time to highlight specific things in a scene, perhaps the wind carrying sakura petals or the gaze of a robot lost in a desolate world. I am big on eye styles if you know me well, and Clannad does not fail to deliver. The eyes are unique and refreshing, yet they completely work for the characters.
I will say that the Clannad team does tend to "recycle" their clips a lot, and they re-use many scenes that have already been used. It was never a problem for me however, and I never seemed to notice during each episode. Each clip of animation has a visible amount of dedication put into it, and it pays off.

SOUND: 10/10

I would say this is where Clannad truly shines, but to be honest, it shines everywhere, and the soundtrack is no exception. Honestly, this is one of the most amazing anime soundtracks I have ever heard. Shinji Orito and gang have created a moving soundtrack to match the emotions of the anime perfectly. Without these songs, the anime would only be half as good as I believe it is. I urge you to listen to the songs carefully and let yourself be absorbed into the emotions of the anime, and listening to these songs later will immediately bring to mind these emotions that our characters were feeling at the time. Fabulous, fabulous job to the music team.

CHARACTER: 10/10

Another 10, yes, but I am sure you will agree with me on this one. There is Tomoya, the main character, who changes dramatically over the course of After Story. There is Nagisa, Tomoya's wife, who is kind, gentle, and sometimes a bit incapable of handling things herself. There is Kyou (yay Kyou fanboy here), the aggresive tsundere of the group who is outgoing, kind, and well... intolerable of stupidity. There is Tomoyo, very similar to Kyou but with ambitions and a steady path she sees for herself.
These and many other characters make this story a must-see. There is a character for everyone to love and be attached to; in fact I find myself loving every single character. (Except Fuuko, who I must add, was put in this anime a bit too much.) Overall, amazing cast, and voice acting is also very solid.

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 10/10

I always hate to give a review all 10's, because it seriously looks like I'm a fanboy of Clannad. But thinking back on the series, it deserves nothing less. All the elements that make up an anime mesh perfectly for Clannad After Story, and it is truly a treat to watch. I enjoyed every second of this anime, and came close to crying (which I have never done watching an anime).
I knew then that Clannad After Story was something special, something that draws the emotion from everyone's hearts and connects you to the story in one way or another. This is something you cannot miss.

Mushishi [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Mushi-shi
Japanese: 蟲師

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 23, 2005 to Jun 19, 2006
Producers: Artland, Marvelous Entertainment, FUNimation Entertainment
Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural
Duration: 25 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Review

Animation - at first, the animation seems odd, as though it's lacking detail. But as you watch you realize that it's part of the character design, especially on the main character Ginko. The design lends itself well to the story and style. Most frames look like paintings instead of standard anime. In fact, a lot of the foregrounds and backgrounds remind me of classical Japanese and Chinese water color. And the effects when something "magical" happens are well integrated and very nice to look at. The animationn has a unique style. It's more like how Miyazaki-san makes his anime look like art more than cartoons. A lot of time and thought was put into everything, right down to the angles.

Sound - The sound on this show is great! I can't wait to own a dvd with a 5.1 sound mix. But the fansubs have good audio encoding and the sound design of the show is great. (I watch C1 which has better audio, but ANBU is also good and has slightly better video). The nature sounds and village sounds are so realistic that they must have had a dedicated foley staff who recorded in the field for their effects. I especially like the voice actors on this show. The actors seem to put a lot more emotion and acting into this than a lot of other series. Yuto Nakano is phenomenal as Ginko, the main character who is on the Mushishi poster here on anidb. He really makes Ginko seem alive. Joe Odagiri is playing Ginko in the live action and I hope he is up to the same level.

Story - The story is very culturally Japanese. But not in a way that would distance someone who doesn't know much about Japan. It's a drama, a travel show, a mystery, and a bit of fantasy. But the fantasy is grounded in Japanese folklore. Other reviews are correct, in that each episode is more or less stand alone, with the exception of a couple of 2-parters. Although Ginko's journey is straightforward in time and everyone he meets affects him as the show progresses. This reminds me of certain old American shows, like some Westerns or the Fugitive, in that the main character is travelling and in each episode he encounters new people whom he helps with his knowledge and ability, and he learns from them in the process. Similar to Monster in structure, only it's not a horror/thriller. The ending is somewhat open, but there is more manga so they may be thinking of a second season at some point.

Character - Here's the shows greatest strength, I feel. Even though most characters don't stick around for longer than one episode, I feel that the writers really take the time to develop every character. The main character Ginko is constantly revealing more about himself to the people he encounters. In that way, the audience grows to know him like a friend. He is quite a mysterious man, and part of the mystery comes from his somewhat clouded past. All of the people he meets on his journey are deep and well-written. These aren't the standard "and then he meets a kid who has a gun arm." These are real people. When you first watch this show, it will seem to be about magic fungus or bugs (Mushi), but after a while you will realize that it is actually about people. The Mushi are just the threads that weave all their lives together.

Value - I think there is great value to this show. Every episode reveals a lot about human character. The cultural undertones of the show are both entertaining and educating. And it's just great storytelling. By the time you get to episodes 8-9 and onward, each episode starts to really pack an emotional whallop. After finishing the series I went back and watched the first 10 episodes again and it was even better. I picked up on a lot of subtleties. Plus the animation is still beautiful. And there is enough leftover manga material that they could make a second season.

Enjoyment - It's a calm and relaxing show, not a big action guns and glory show. So if you like girl with guns or mechs destroying each other, just go watch Black Lagoon or Eureka Seven. But if you like emotional, thought provoking, entertaining stories (which is not to say that mechs or girls with guns can't provide that too...Black Lagoon does), then you'll like this show. Sometimes when the "magical" parts of the Mushi that only Ginko can see get "aggitated" then there is excitement and suspense, so don't think it's all drama. But listen to the opening song and you'll understand the overall mood of Mushi-shi. It reminds me of a lot of independent films versus studio blockbusters. Indies take the time to focus on the character and the emotions in a way that blockbusters genrally aren't able to do.

Monster [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
English: Monster
Japanese: モンスター

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 74
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 7, 2004 to Sep 28, 2005
Producers: Madhouse Studios, VAP, Viz Media
Genres: Mystery, Drama, Horror, Police, Psychological, Thriller, Seinen
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Review

~Story~
Oh Boy. Monster is really something else. People are thrown off when they hear that this anime has 74 episodes. Quite a few people say that that it's too slow, but to those I say: "Go watch childish anime, and when you grow up, watch Monster"
Well then, to begin. This anime has an insanely high production value. It should also be said Monster has no filler episodes(they are all connected). The story follows a brain surgeon called Doctor Kenzo Tenma. The very first few episodes set the plot. But as simple as it may look when you start watching it, you will think: "this is gonna last 74 episodes?". The story is WAY deeper then it seams. The anime is very, how should I say...gray(I'll be using this term a lot). It really shows the grayness of humanity at it's worst, but also gives a message of hope. This anime is so well made, that it looks so real, as if wasn't an anime at all. The anime and manga are like a best selling novel. The anime is filled with much emotion and characters. And the best part is that all of the character's stories are connected one way or the other. As the anime went on further it became even more gray then before. The final 2 episodes are culmination of everything. Things don't end up as you thought it ever would. Overall, the story never went the way you thought it would. The interesting part is that the ED for the anime that changes from time to time, has quite a lot to do with the story which I didn't believe. The end of this great anime is really gray too, and the final scene chilled me to the bone.

~Animation~
Well, you might find it to be old school, but the style of drawing actually adds to the mood of the anime. Because this is the most reality-based anime I've ever seen, the style of drawing is made to resemble real life characters. A very good thing about this is that because it is so detailed, the expressions and emotions are well developed and shown. Animation is quite fluid. Who would have ever thought that an animation of someone putting a finger on his head could be so epic.

~Sound~
The soundtrack for this anime is nothing short of amazing. When hope is needed, the music gives hope. When there is no hope, the music takes away all hope. When there is absolute despair, the music will show you true despair. Character theme songs are so fitting that, only by listening to the song you can tell everything about the character. The FX sounds are great and add to the thrill and shock to an already OMG scene.
Most notable songs are "Angel Hand", "Seeds of time", "For the love of life" and "Cannot Hear". "Cannot Hear" is one of the characters theme songs and every time I hear the song I feel so down. It's like all the sins and sorrow of mankind put into one song. As for "For the love of life", it really has a deeper message to it.

~Characters~
Now this is where it is really amazing. I'm not gonna go naming characters, I want to keep this spoiler free. The anime never stops bringing in new characters. You might think that these are filler episodes, but all the characters are connected one way or the other. All the characters are very well developed. You will come to love even the most irrelevant characters. It is amazing how they showed his transformation over time. Because of the drawing style and the gray nature of the anime all the character seem as if they were people in real life. Honestly, I wouldn't compare this to other anime, because it's above anime, it really is something else. Trust me when I say, the supporting cast is so great that if the main character wasn't in 30 episodes, you wouldn't mind. The cast is so great that most characters can have their own spin-offs. The voice acting is also superb.

~Enjoyment~
What can I say. For all the 74 episodes I never skipped the OP. This got me so hooked that I didn't eat until like 4-5 in the morning. I was marathoning this because I got so hooked. I enjoyed every single moment of this anime. I was never bored. The final arc is the climax you deserve as a viewer. Tho it is a very gray anime showing the grayness of humanity it really is great to watch because there is no bullshit. It shows us humans for what we really are. I mean, I watched 19 episodes in a row once, that's how much I was hooked.

Katanagatari [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
Japanese: 刀語

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jan 25, 2010 to Dec 10, 2010
Producers: Aniplex, White Fox, NIS America, Inc.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts
Duration: 50 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Review

ART & ANIMATION: 8
In terms of art and animation, the show is about 2/5 panned shots with dialogue, 2/5 characters walking and talking* and the remaining 1/5 is killtastic, quick action fight scenes. The graphic style of the series is unique, as I have not seen many others like it and while it appears simple, it works well nonetheless. The backgrounds of the scenes were beautifully drawn as well the"impact" effects that the characters inflicted upon them. For each episode of the series, each one received their own unique ending credits animation with a floral theme that reflected the time of year and area the characters traveled through during the episode, as well as the protagonists attire matching what they wore during the episode. Each ending is not visually intricate or direly different from one another (save for the final episode), but the variety is appreciated as gesture of extra effort for the audience.

*There is a lot of talking in this series, including many jokes, puns, and banter. If you are not a native Japanese speaker, or maybe you can't read subtitles so quickly, don't hesitate to hit that pause button! The characters won't judge you, though your media player might. This is under the assumption you are watching the series in the original Japanese dub. If you are not, you are most likely in the future, in which case, congratulations!

SOUND: 10
The soundtrack of the series was excellent with a variety of of music genres, which throughout the series adapted wonderfully to the conversations, comedy, environment and fight scenes and sound amazing on their own. In addition to the variety of ending credits animation, each episode received it's own ending musical theme as well. There are two opening credit themes. All very catchy, I loved them! Majority of the series' musical scores were composed by Taku Iwasaki, the gent who also produced for Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Gurren Lagann and Soul Eater and resemblance to their themes can be heard throughout the series. If you do not know of these series, it may be helpful for you to consult some sort of website specializing in anime series analysis.

...Wait for it.

STORY: 7
The story, is simple, the young heroes depart from their homes and collect the 12 mystical "swords", a very lenient term in this series, in order to achieve the greater good of the community. On their quest, they encounter many adversaries who wish to also possess the 12 "swords" for their own nefarious reasons and thus engage in battle with the heroes over their possession. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of story telling. However, halfway through the series, plot twist enters the fray with the introduction of new characters, and plot developments involving alternate futures, altered pasts and unforeseen general idealisms. Nothing too remarkable but it keeps the story moving from A to B.

CHARACTER: 8
The characters! The shining glint at the edge of the black sunglasses, the thing that really makes this show shine with excitement. Each characters costume is unique, flamboyant and quite plainly, awesome, colorful and articulate, and makes a clear point to the audience that they are indeed a main character, or at the very least a noteworthy secondary. Many characters have their own quirky personality (I hate it when I use that word), each their own fighting style, motives and traits, from creepy with an unworldly ability to swallow things that shouldn't be, to juvenile and shy, to quiet and sadistic. A notable aspect of the series is the growth of first protagonist, Shichika, who at the beginning of the series seems barely human in terms of interaction and communication, but throughout the progression of the series, learns what it means to become human with the help of the other protagonist, Togame, and the other characters which he meets and interacts with. The characters make good conversations and just mesh well together. The voice acting is wonderful and capture the characters personalities well through their dialogue. Some characters, some of the villains mainly, seem bland however.

VALUE: 9
I gave this a series a 9 for value. I will watch it again. That is because I liked it so much. I might buy it when or if it comes out in my country. It also taught me most of what I know about the geography of Japan. I would recommend it to many people as a fine example of what anime is.

ENJOYMENT: 10
2010 was a kinda crappy year. A lot of smut stuff came out, though a lot came out in 2009 which I may be associating with 2010 but nonetheless. There were a lot of series which I looked at and thought "meh" to but this was one of the ones I stuck with and I'm glad I did because I enjoyed the raspberry filling out of it.

Nana [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
English: Nana
Japanese: ナナ

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 47
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 5, 2006 to Mar 27, 2007
Producers: Madhouse Studios, VAP, Viz Media
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life, Josei
Duration: 23 min. per episode
Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Review

Story -- The plot is very character-driven, focusing heavily on two girls who, by amazing coincidence, are so similar but also very different as they walk their paths of life. It really would be nowhere if it weren't for all the wonderful characters that Yazawa-sensei has created. Furthermore, the story in the anime is so heart-wrenchingly told at certain points. The narrations at the beginning and end of each episode are told as if the future Nana or Hachi are looking back on old memories, reminiscing and possibly regretting, questioning and hoping, leaving you to wonder if Nana and Hachi ever got their happy ending.

Meanwhile, the pacing of the story was very well done. At times, especially near the beginning, I thought it lagged a bit much by going over the Nana and Hachi train meeting, but after that's over and done with, it goes at what I considered a perfect pace. I never felt once that the story was dragging and was always wanting to know what would happen in the next episode.

Art -- The art was done very nicely. The colours were vibrant but never too unrealistic, and the animation and CGI were smooth and never felt cheap. If I had any complaint, I'd say that the characters were often drawn too thin to the point where they looked anorexic or even completely unrealistic, even for anime characters. Otherwise, it was all very good.

Sound -- For anime series revolving around music, I tend to judge the music a little more harshly. Still, I loved all the songs from both Blast and Trapnest. Anna Tsuchiya provides a harsher, rougher tone, that nicely reflect Nana's character and style, while Olivia Lufkin's softer vocals provide a more romantic and feminine tone, which again shows the theme of contrasts. When the OPs or EDs were used as insert songs, they were done very appropriately and suited the situations well, so they didn't feel randomly thrown in for the sake of having music. The other background music tracks were less noteworthy and barely noticeable, to be honest.

The voice acting was done very well and I applaud all the voice actors here because they did a terrific job. They were very believable from when they were laughing and having fun to when they were crying, yelling, or frustrated.

Character -- Like I said, this series is so character-driven it would be nowhere near this level if it weren't for them. The contrast between the two Nanas was done excellently - you really get the sense that they play off each other well and that their friendship is so deep that it's hard to describe in words and is something that can only be felt. Meanwhile, the relationships between all the other characters are complex and tangled, and the ways in which they deal with these complexities is incredibly realistic.

Junko summarizes it nicely in the later episodes when she says, "There really is no right answer to these questions" because in real life, there really isn't. You have to do what you can do and make the best out of a bad situation, even if it means that someone is going to get hurt in the end, and it's these things that Yazawa's characters contemplate and face. They hurt others, get hurt themselves, make mistakes, and as a result, they learn and grow. Or in the end, they might realize it's an "eat or be eaten" kind of world and that "justice doesn't always prevail" (as Yasu puts it). And as they face these problems of life, you can really identify with them and cheer them on to simply do their best. After all, that's all anyone can ask, right?

Overall -- NANA is truly a series to watch, especially if you like shoujo. But it's not your typical shoujo. It's something different and goes beyond your simple clichés, but in order to truly understand it, this is something you have to watch it.

Cowboy Bebop [review]

Publicat de Adrian On 0 comentarii

Alternative Titles
Japanese: カウボーイビバップ

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 3, 1998 to Apr 24, 1999
Producers: Sunrise, Bandai Visual, Bandai Entertainment
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Space
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Review

Story: It's the year 2071 AD, and mankind has colonized the entire solar system. Spike Spiegel is a Cowboy (this era's term for bounty hunters) who works with Jet Black to track down bounties and struggle to live off of them. Along the way, they pick up a few extra people and their pasts are bought to light.

Cowboy Bebop is, for the most part, a bounty of the week episode, with some minor continuing threads. All in all, it's done pretty well, with bounties delving into the pasts of characters, and being just interesting in general. The characters are an interesting bunch of people, with Ed taking the cake as crack in human form. :P

Some will complain that the plot in the last two episodes comes out of nowhere, but they're a bit inaccurate there; the threads have been building up in episodes here and there throughout the show, though they are admittedly a bit scattered.

Art: The show's a bit dated, obviously. But, compared to other shows that were airing around that time (Ruroni Kenshin, Beserk), the animation is pretty good. The designs for characters are very well done, and the designs for the ships and all the backgrounds in particular are amazingly detailed.

Music: Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts did the work for this soundtrack, and it's absolutely amazing. There's so much variety in all the variations on jazz and blues that they do for this, and it's amazingly catchy. This was one of the first soundtracks I actively noticed in a show and tried to find.

They also did work on the OP, "Tank!" (which Baccano! takes a cue from) and ED, "The Real Folk Blues", both of which are instantly memorable and fit the series quite well.

Length: I liked sixteen out of the twenty-six total episodes, and the series probably would've done well to keep those episodes in the long run and cut the rest. Still, all in all, that's a pretty good percentage.

Seiyuu: Megumi Hayashibara (famous for her roles as Rei Ayanami in Evangelion and Atsuko Chiba and Paprika in Paprika) plays Faye Valentine in this, and Jouji Nakata appears in a minor role. I admire Ed's seiyuu for being able to capture the sheer crazy of her character. All in all, a pretty good job.

Voice Actors: Cowboy Bebop was one of the first anime I watched, back when it was regularly airing on Adult Swim. When I went back to watch it, I found that, all things considered, the voice actors did a pretty good job with their roles. The voices weren't quite the same, but, all in all, still fit the characters pretty well. One of the better dubs I've seen out there.

Dub: Looking back on the dub, it was one of the better dubs I saw back when I was first getting into anime. A few lines of dialogue were altered in the English version, and some minor edits were made so that it was able to air on TV, but compared to DiC's butchering of Sailor Moon, it was a pretty good job. If only they could've all been this good.

Overall: A well-done show, with an episodic plot that delves into it's character's past that sporadically builds to the conclusion, detailed animation, amazing music, and a pretty good dub.

Pages

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora review

Ef - A tale of melodies review

NHK ni Youkoso! [review]

Bakemonogatari [review]

Clannad After Story [review]

Mushishi [review]

Monster [review]

Katanagatari [review]

Nana [review]

Cowboy Bebop [review]

Blog Archive

Anime Reviews

Followers