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Jul 22, 2014
First of all, it's important to note that End of Evangelion takes place during the last two episodes of the TV series. Some have described End of Evangelion as a retelling of the original ending. Although in a sense, End of Evangelion mirrors episodes 25 and 26. You might think of the TV ending as taking place entirely within Shinji's mind, while End of Evangelion depicts what is physically taking place. This does mean that you have to watch the TV series first. This movie doesn't work well as a stand alone film. If you haven't yet watched the TV series it's strongly recommended that
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you do so.
The first half provides the audience with a barrage of action and throws in all the big events we'd expect from the climax of the series. The second half of the film starts to explore Shinji's mind, similar to the ending of the TV show. Albeit in a manner much easier to understand. The second half is essentially a work of art, and it's here that Hideaki Anno completely loses his mainstream audience. Is that a bad thing? Not by any means.
We're presented with a wonderful analogy which explores how Shinji pushes others away due to his fear of being hurt, yet at the same time, can't stand the idea of loneliness. Evangelion is a story which struggles with the resolve to want to be together, despite how frightening it can be to have contact with others. Evangelion is honest. Brutally honest. And it's for this reason that Evangelion is able to understand people in a way that no other anime could possibly begin to accomplish.
Evangelion is a rather polarizing anime. Is it a show for everyone? Certainly not. Evangelion is a plunge into the depths of the human psyche and is by no means a straightforward anime. Evangelion is like a puzzle, the only difference being that there is no correct answer. People might have written essays trying to explain Evangelion, but this isn't what this show is about. If you're able to view it for what it is, it can be an immensely satisfying experience, and End of Evangelion is the perfect accompaniment.
Despite how much hatred people tend to direct towards Shinji, he is undeniably one of the most realistic characters created. Sure, he's weak, afraid, unsure of himself, and by the end of the movie so wrapped up and self absorbed that the human race itself seems trivial compared to his internal strife. But can anyone really claim that they'd act any different? End of Evangelion offers some useful character development for Shinji. He might not be the most likable protagonist, even by the end of the film he remains a rather flawed character, but by no means does that mean that he is badly written.
Asuka and Rei are also given more depth, with Asuka snapping out of her coma and coming to terms with her mother's mental breakdown and eventual suicide, while Rei becomes more independent and evolves beyond being a mere doll.
Almost every character is given a certain amount of depth and complexity. Even the seemingly irredeemable Gendo Ikari manages to draw some sympathy from the viewer. The film offers further development for most all of the characters, and by the end it's rather difficult to dislike any of them.
The art in End of Evangelion is beautifully done, and the animation is extraordinary during some scenes. Most notable would be Asuka's final battle, which might be one of the most brilliant fight scenes I've ever seen. While the TV series had one or two issues, namely using too many static frames in order to reduce costs, End of Evangelion is flawless.
The artwork is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. The visuals are pleasing to look at and at times manages to be rather creepy, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
Shiro Sagisu offers a beautiful score. There are plenty of classical pieces and some viewers may point out Bach's 'Air' during one or two of Asuka's fight scenes. They blend together extremely well and fit perfectly with Evangelion's visuals.
Komm, süsser Tod may be one of the most memorable tracks from this film. The sudden introduction of an upbeat J-Pop track contrasts sharply with the events on screen, and the lyrics betray the songs seemingly jovial nature.
The voice acting is perfectly fine, and there isn't much to say other than that they couldn't have done a better job
Eva is a scathing exploration into the human psyche. It's not always pretty, but the truth rarely is. As I've previously mentioned, Eva is one of the most brutally honest anime you will ever find, and at the end of the day, is an show that you're either going to absolutely love, or absolutely hate. Either way, I consider it one of the most influential anime to date.
End of Evangelion. is a great accompaniment to the TV series and is a must watch for any fan of Eva. It's personally one of my favourite films of all time and it's definitely worth a chance. If you haven't watched the TV series yet, then check it out. If you end up liking it, I'm sure you'll end up thoroughly enjoying this film.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 18, 2014
Laputa begins with a rather dramatic scene where our heroine, Sheeta, appears to have been taken hostage on a military airship. During a sudden pirate attack she tries to make her escape, but falls and plummets from the sky.
A young engineer's apprentice named Pazu catches her as she gently floats down to earth, seemingly saved by a mysterious amulet she wears around her neck. Pazu takes the girl home and tells her of his dream to one day fly to Laputa, a legendary castle which floats in the sky. Before long they have both the government, and pirates on their tail, and begin to set
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out on a fantastic adventure to discover the secret of Laputa.
Like many of Miyazaki's works, this film has a strong plot with many underlying themes. The film appears to openly criticize war and violence. Miyazaki himself could be labled as a pacifist and this shows in his work, though this is by no means a bad thing. Miyazzaki has always excelled in creation fun, exciting films which still manage to maintain a serious message throughout.
The first half of the anime is packed full of action and adventure, while the second half takes on a more serious tone as the plot begins to unravel. All in all, this anime has a memorable story, and like with most of Miyazaki's creations, is likely to leave a rather strong impression on you.
Miyazaki's characters are both imaginative and extremely relatable. No matter what the setting, Miyazaki is always able to create characters the audience is able to relate with. Pazu starts off as an engineers apprentice in a small mining town, and soon grows into a strong, dependent character who is easily able to adapt to his situation. Sheeta is a strong lead from the start. Miyazaki has always made a point of having dependent and reliable female characters and this film is no different. The two have a brilliant chemistry throughout and seem to be unable to live apart. There are subtle hints of romance throughout and the two share an wonderful relationship that is never broken despite how many tribulations the pair are put through.
The villain, Muska, is a rather unique character among Miyazaki's works. Most of the time, the audience is even able to empathize with the villain and we seem able to find goodness in every character. Muska on the other hand has absolutely no redeemable qualities whatsoever. We're made to hate him from the very start. His only goals are to seize the power of Laputa for himself so he may have absolute power over the world. He appears to be greed incarnate and he's loathed every second he appears on screen.
The other main characters are a group of pirates who Pazu eventually joins in order to save Sheeta. While these are initially portrayed as the bad guys, Miyazaki blurs the boundaries of what we really consider to be evil. Despite the fact they are a group of thieves, they are shown to have very human qualities. The head of the group, a comical old lady named Dola, soon becomes a mother figure for both Pazu and Sheeta. While they may be greedy, unlike Muska they have not forsaken their compassion and kindness and by the end of the film, it's almost impossible to view them as anything remotely evil.
The characters are all well defined and the film offers some excellent character development. It's unlikely that you'll ever forget Pazu and Sheeta, or the eccentric group of pirates. Even Muska becomes an unforgettable villain who offers a brillaint peformance.
As expected, Ghibli did a fantastic job with Laputa. The world is so vibrant and detailed that you almost feel as if you could step inside. The portrayal of the small mining village gives us a sense of a warm, kindhearted community bustling with life. The landscapes are astonishing and the floating castle itself is breathtakingly beautiful.
Even for a film created in 1986, the animation holds up extremely well. Ghibli has no problem creating detailed, rich worlds to immerse yourself in.
In terms of sound, Joe Hisaishi provides a stunning accompaniment to Laputa. The opening theme sets the scene perfectly and becomes a recurring melody throughout the film. At times, the music provides a slight sense of melancholy and mystery, while at others fills the audience with a sense of wonder. Joe Hisaishi has a wonderful way of matching music to visuals.
However, it is important to note that Disney commissioned Joe Hisaishi to rework the soundtrack for their 1998 release which Miyazaki himself approved of. While the original soundtrack features many pieces which were composed using a synthesizer, the Disney release contains full 90 minute symphony orchestra. After watching both the original, and the Disney release, I'd say that the soundtrack from the Disney release had much more impact and really helped to set the mood of the film. The original had it's own charm too of course.
In terms of voice acting I'd have to go with the original Japanese, though at this point we'd be leaning towards the age-old debate of dubs versus subs. I felt that the original's voice acting seemed much more expressive and genuine. Mark Hamil provided an excellent performance of Muska however, and ideally it'd be best to watch both versions.
This was one of the first Ghibli films I watched and I knew it'd leave a lasting impression on me from the moment I began watching it. Miyzaki brings us a rich film with realistic characters, beautiful animation, and an unforgettable plot which manages to weave in an important message underneath all the excitement. Like many of Miyazaki's works, this film is a must watch for any fan of anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 14, 2014
Story - 6/10
The premise of Black Bullet is interesting enough. Humanity is driven to the brink of destruction by a species of powerful monsters named 'Gastrea'. You'd be forgiven for initially comparing this show to Attack on Titan, as many viewers did upon starting the series. Though the similarities end there.
The story follows Rentaro Satomi and his partner, Enju, who is one of the many cursed children living in Tokyo. With the appearance of the Gastrea, a certain population were infected by a virus, and gave birth to children with superhuman abilities. One of the more interesting aspects of Black Bullet was the injustice and
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prejudiced these children are forced to face. While the plot is overall quite weak, the social commentary was quite effective. In terms of the plot, that's really the only positive thing I have to say about this anime.
The pacing is astronomically terrible. The first four episodes went by so quickly that the audience is barely given a chance to try and grasp what's going on. They could have honestly written an entire series based on the events of those episodes. Half-way through the anime I felt as though it should have already ended. In episode 4 there were literally about 5-6 climaxes happening all at the same time. Absurd doesn't begin to describe the pacing of the show. Even for a 13 episode anime, they could have given us a chance to rest. Constant action and drama doesn't make a good anime, there needs to be a cool down in between. The only time when there isn't any action or drama is when they throw in pointless fanservice or cliche jokes that we've heard a thousand times. There's very little room for actual character development.
Another problem I had with this anime is that there are so many plot points which were completely forgotten and thrown aside. It's simply bad writing when you introduce all these separate plots, then drop them as if they hadn't even happened to begin with. The tricycle at the end of episode 4 was completely pointless and was never mentioned again. It gives me the impression that the writer started to introduce all these different scenarios then realised he had no idea where he was going to take any of them.
Characters- 5/10
For the most part the characters are bland and uninteresting. Our main protagonist is a rather brave and determined character, which is always nice to see given the amount of useless protagonists that are out there. However, he lacks any defining qualities. It's difficult to even work out what his motivation for fighting is. And while Rentaro may come across as a strong character, there are plenty of times when he is utterly powerless. There are plenty of times when Rentaro witnesses the mistreatment and abuse of the cursed children, yet never appears to step up or punish those responsible, despite the fact that he is more than capable of doing so. It gives us the impression that he is either apathetic or so significant that he has almost no impact on the world around him.
There isn't really anything notable about Enju besides from her obsession with Rentaro. Her past is mentioned briefly but never explored. She has no unique traits whatsoever and I get the impression that the author just wanted to throw an energetic loli in there for good measure. There's only a small handful of characters that we remotely care about. Among those would be Kisara, Rentaro's childhood friend, and Tina, another loli that Rentaro picks up along his journey.
For the most part Kisara lacks any kind of depth whatsoever and there's really nothing to set her apart from everyone else. She barely has an active role in the anime up until the end, when her character takes a rather sudden twist. There's nothing wrong with surprising the audience, but when you have absolutely no character development at all, then suddenly decide to pull a massive twist, it appears disjointed and jarring.
There were a handful of other characters that had quite a bit of potential. Kagetane, the initial villain of the series, was rather an interesting and smooth character. Yet he only appears a couple of times despite being such a popular character. The rest of the characters that accompany Rentaro are given almost no screentime at all, to the point where we barely even care. Several characters important to the main character end up dying throughout the series, but their deaths are handled so nonchalantly that there's no emotional impact whatsoever. There were about two emotional scenes that the anime did pretty well, but for the most part I had no reason to care about any of the characters deaths.
Art - 7/10
The art was ok for the most part. Nothing remarkble however. The CGI for the Gastrea was pretty painful to look at, and the animation itself wasn't as fluid as it could have been. There were some scenes that were animated quite well but the series was occasionally prone to sudden drops in quality
Sound - 6/10
The soundtrack was extremely generic and forgettable. There isn't a single BGM track that I can recall. The opening theme was pretty well done, but it's not something I'll remember in a couple of months time.
The ED theme, Tokohana, was pretty good however. I didn't skip the ED once throughout the series and I enjoyed listening to it. In all honesty the ED theme was one of my favourite things about the entire show.
Overall - 6/10
Conclusion
All in all, Black Bullet was a weak show with a pretty forgettable plot.There were one or two scenes which were handled well, but I find it difficult to relate to any of the characters. The pacing was a major flaw, and it was just bizarre how quickly the first four episodes flew past. Maybe it's just a poor adaption and there was nothing wrong with the light novel, but this anime his succeeded in putting me off the entire series forever.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 1, 2013
Story - 10/10
The series begins with the dream of a girl falling through the sky, she eventually wakes up and finds herself in a cocoon from which she breaks out, only to be surrounded by several girls claiming to be Haibane, who explain that she is one of them. What are the Haibane exactly? that is something which is never really fully covered even in the show, and that isn't a fault, rather it adds to the mystery of the anime and encourages you to think for yourself. The closest description however would be an angel, they eventually grow wings and are given a golden
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halo, which the main character soon finds out.
The main characters name would be Rakka, the series shows Rakka trying to blend in with those around her, and illustrates her journey as she comes to know the town in which she lives in, the Haibane are forbidden from leaving, are forced to wear second hand clothes, and live in a run-down building, and while this appears to be discrimination its quite the opposite.
Without giving spoilers, the anime has some quite dark and serious themes, which are addressed by the end, the plot is extremely creative and intelligent, and because of that it might be hard for some people to truly appreciate it, this is an anime that you need to look at differently, and when you do that it really is rewarding.
Animation - 7/10
I can't really fault the animation nor can I really praise it, it does the job and while it might seem a little dated it doesn't hinder the experience, personally I like the animation very much, however I can't justify giving it anything higher than 7/10
Characters - 10/10
The characters in this show are extremely interesting and unique, I can definetely say I'll never forget them, however this series really shines with the relationship between the two main characters, Rakka and Rekki, the character development between these two is outstanding, all of their interactions throughout the series leads up to the final episodes, which is one of the most moving pieces of drama I have ever seen.
Sound/Music - 10/10
I'm going to go as far as to say Haibane Renmei has my favourite OST of all time, the opening is beautiful and reflects the show perfectly, while the ending is unique and really grows on you. Aside from that the BGM is really well done and compliments the scenes wonderfully, the voice acting is also worthy to note, and happens to be very impressive.
Overall - 10/10
Yes, I've given it 10/10, everything about this series is perfect, the only thing I couldn't give 10/10 was the animation, this is however an anime which is difficult to jump straight into, initially the plot progression is slow, fans of action and fast paced anime might feel a bit impatient, but once you start this anime you should make an effort to watch all of it, because the ending could very well change your whole opinion. Once you look under the surface you'll find this anime is extremely well put together, the symbolism is seamless and all comes together, while some people complain of the fact not all questions are answered by the end, I feel these were purposeful omissions, it's an anime that allows you to come up with your own conclusions, and it's not just a cheap way of getting out of explaining things, a simple explanation would in-fact cheapen the show.
As I said, the plot is initially slow, but the ending is more than worth it, it's extremely thought provoking and you'll definitely remember this as a unique and unforgettable anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 3, 2013
Having heard that this film was created by Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki I already knew it was going to be a masterpiece even before I watched it. There's a reason why the two are so renowned, this film is a prime example of that.
Howl's Moving Castle revolves around a young girl called Sophie who owns a modest hat shop in a quaint city. Shortly after the beginning of the movie she runs into a strange wizard named Howl while on her way to visit her sister. The witch of the waste, who is pursuing Howl visits her hat shop and subsequently turns her into an
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old, decrepit woman. From here Sophie attempts to find a way to break her curse by traveling to the wastes, only to come across a strange moving castle where she meets Howl again, she disguises herself as a cleaning lady and the two embark on an adventure.
It should be noted that Howl's Moving Castle is actually based on a book by a certain British writer, however Miyazaki made it his own while keeping true to the original material, I haven't read the book myself, however I'm sure those who have will find the movie just as delightful.
The movie has all of the Miyazaki trademarks, lots of airships, warring nations, dark undertones, and these things never get old, no matter how much they are used. The plot is very enjoyable, some have criticized that it was somewhat simple, however there's nothing wrong with that, it's imaginative, and while it might not have the most complex plot in the world, it's a plot which will engage you nevertheless, I can't personally see a single flaw.
The animation, as you'd expect from Ghibli is outstanding, it's so fluid and smooth, the scenery is beautiful, and it has a really distinctive charm. Like most Ghibli movies it has an extremely immersive world, the streets, cities, characters are all full of so much life. I can't really see it being animated in any other way.
As I touched on when describing the animation, the characters are so full of life, they never bore you for one second. Particularly one of my favourite characters has to be Calcifer, who is a fire demon that exists in the form of a small flame, he's an absolute delight to watch and a magnificent creation, that being said the other characters deserve just as much merit and we end up liking them from the very beginning.
Here's an interesting fact, Howl was actually voiced by Christian Bale in the English dub, I however have not seen the English dub, therefore I cannot comment.
The music is absolutely beautiful, and accompanies the film perfectly, the voice acting itself is just as good, the actors are extremely talented, and again Calcifer really shines quite brightly in this area, his voice work was amazing.
Ok, yes, I've given it the full 10/10, top marks, perhaps I'm exaggerating but I can't find a way to fault this film whatsoever, it's a delight to watch and extremely engaging, so much that you could watch it again and again. You're likely to enjoy this film no matter who you are, Howl's Moving Castle has something for everyone.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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