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Apr 12, 2008
Story
Although at first glance, B'tX appears to be 'just another mecha story', it's a little bit more than that. The story is excellent, but it is executed poorly - it has potential that is just never truly used. It's similar in concept to 'Zoids'. The idea that bio-mechanical, intelligent mecha creatures mingle with humans is interestingly placed into the story, but there are many cliche's and it's easy to predict what will happen next. It's a sad case of works-in-theory but not in execution. Overall, I gave it a six because coming from the studio that produced Akira I expected a little bit more.
Art
The
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art can be obnoxious at times, but it's generally acceptable, with stunning amounts of detail on the b'ts and intriguing character designs.
The animation itself can be irritating, mainly because they recycle animation frequently. The first five minutes of every episode is a recap, and they insist upon using the two-minute 'transformation' sequence whenever Teppei and X go into battle - at least twice an episode. It gets old quickly but, then again, that's why fast-foward was created. Ignoring the fact that many sequences are recycled over and over, the actual effects have a very 80's-anime appearance, somewhat reminiscent of Dragon Ball.
Character
The character development is limited and restrained, characteristic of this studio's other productions. What surprised me was, despite the fact that the characters are highly stereotypical (The 80's-hair Bible-thumping bishie, evil scientists, the over-muscled baddies) you get drawn into them in a odd way that, even if you can tell what they will do next, you need to see the next episode. I gave the characters a five because, looking at the studio's portfolio it's fairly middle-of-the-road compared to shows like Doraemon and Panda Go Panda.
Sound
The sound, especially in the dub, are enough to drive a person insane. Instead of having voice actors actually whisper or yell, they simply have them speak normally and then adjust the background music to give the impression of whispering or shouting. This results in hard-to-hear voices, as well as generally bad voice acting. So much of the audio in this makes a person want to cry, and not in a good way, either.
Overall / Enjoyment
I scored this a nine and eight in the end solely because of the concept of the story. The actual idea of the story is very interesting, but it is so terribly executed that it ruins it. I can see people starting roleplays or writing fanfiction based on the ideas of b'tx, if not the actual anime itself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 6, 2008
Story
There doesn't seem to be a story beyond 'I am a cat. This is my opinion of the world.' That by itself makes for a philosophical short with an interesting take on life. Anyone who's owned a cat has wondered what goes on between those ears, and I believe that if cats could talk they'd agree with everything that this cat does.
Art
The art in this OVA is rather interesting - it's done in a black-and-white, simplistic, somewhat grainy manner. Despite the fact that the human is very realistically done and the cats are simplified and 'chibi', it still maintains an intriguingly real appearance.
Sound
Perhaps I am
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biased, but I had a hard time with the sound. Although it is nicely done, the sound effects and music are much louder than the vocals and detract from the overall enjoyment.
Character
Although you never quite become bonded close enough to the human of the series to feel for her, you do bond very quickly with the cat and his quirky philosophy. Although the cat feels somewhat flat, anyone who has dealt with a cat will quickly recognize the "I'm so smart" face they try to put on.
Overall this is a very enjoyable, and quick watch for someone looking to have a 'Five-Minute Philosophy Break', or who is just looking for a quirky anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 19, 2007
When compared side-by-side with the manga of the same name, the Pet Shop of Horrors anime suddenly looks shoddy and duct-taped together. However, as a stand-alone anime it is very unique.
Each episode can be watched without having any background knowledge of the series, as they are all their own story, similar to anime such as pokemon were it is easy to jump in at any point in the series. However, this is also a drawback, as were there should be a pause to explain something further or in more detail, the show chugs along over it, crossing its fingers and hoping that the audience will
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understand.
As dark anime go, Pet Shop of Horror doesn't necessarily have a unique concept, but the overall story is unique. It's easy to become lost in the episodes, which provide a unique "this-could-really-happen" sense that few others manage to achieve.
The animation leaves something to be desired, however, with even the Japanese, English-subbed version looking like a terrible American dub. The background music is interesting, but the anime also keeps things quiet were there should be ambient noise such as birds, cars, even the wind.
Character development is limited, but as the series is so short it's not so much that they didn't bother, its that there simply isn't enough time to get to know the characters and watch them grow.
Overall, if you watch anime for the music or animation then this isn't for you. Fans of the manga, be prepared as these episodes are based almost word-for-word on stories from the first three volumes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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