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- BirthdayJul 14, 1992
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Jul 5, 2010
Now don't get me wrong by looking at the mark i gave this anime. On my scale, 7 is very high, way above average. And Saraiya Goyou really is just that. It is not a masterpiece, or even close to that, but it beats the majority of the anime we get to watch.
The story is the best part of this anime. It is not linear. Even though it is told in a chronological order with a few flashbacks, you can't discern the series of events till the very end. And even then, when you can remember all of the events, and put them together
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systematically, the story that appears in front of your eyes is not generic or simple. It involves a lot of completely different and unique characters. And they are unique compared not only with each other but with the whole anime medium. A sissy skilled samurai, a prostitute with a sense of justice and so on. While some characters might seem generic when you first get to know them, they appear to be quite original and well developed later on in the show. Yaichi could be a good example of that. A mysterious and cool chick magnet who is also awesomely skilled in fighting. But later on, we get more development on him and the real truth is revealed. But if we consider character development as a whole, I'd say it's not exemplary. I've seen better and deeper characters, but like anime, it's way above average.
The art might repel a lot of potential viewers, but I liked it. A lot. First of all, it's very original. I don't think there are any more anime with such art. But if we take a closer look, it's only the characters that are drawn originally. They have goofy eyes an such, but it kind of adds up to the whole atmosphere. However, if you look at the background, and things around the characters, you will see awesomeness. Detail everywhere, textures, lighting - everything. It was really spectacular.
Another aspect of this anime that I loved a lot, is it's sound track. It was amazing. It built up such a relaxing mood. And if we add it together with the soothing coloring of the anime, we might just fall asleep watching it. The music itself was not something spectacular. I would not download and listen to like a song. But what makes it good in the anime is the matches with everything else.
I enjoyed watching Saraiya Goyou. It did not make my brain melt, it let me relax after a hard day and just forget the world around me. But an important thing is that you have to catch every little detail there is to fully understand the story. So a complete relaxation is not an option. You should just turn of your muscles and let your mind do the work.
To sum up, Saraiya Goyou is a fresh whiff of air among all the crap we get. I wish we could watch more anime like this. But then again, it is not and it won't be popular for quite some time and therefore, we should not be expecting that. That's why people who like such intelligent anime with no fan service, dumb action scenes and generic storylines and characters should not miss any of the good ones like House of the Five Leaves.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 6, 2010
The idea of the movie is nothing new. "Live your life to the fullest!" "Never give up!" etc. We hear these a lot actually. And one may see it as a mere commonplace. But then again, the topic is important. Especially to us - anime fans... I kid, I kid. However, the real reason why Mind Game was 1 hour 44 minutes well spent is how the movie executes the idea. It reeks of originality. The same old story about the meaning of life and how you must take advantage of each opportunity no matter how small it is to reach your ultimate goal bursting
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through every struggle and obstacle you find in your path and never looking back is presented with quite hilarious symbols, situations and characters.
I had a lot of different emotions throughout the movie. The scene in the cafe at the beginning made me laugh so hard that any anime or other media I've seen this year was no where close. The epic car chase got my blood boiling like I was watching some action movie. And my reaction to almost everything in Mind Game from the beginning to the end was like "OMG, they did not just...." Everything was shocking: random actions of each character, different characters they meet, amazingly hilarious shots etc. That's why I think it was so good. It kept my brain and different emotions tingling for a couple of hours.
The art is the first thing you will gonna see as ultimately unique. All the characters and surroundings are deformed but detailed at the same time. What I and probably most of the people who watched the movie loved the most about art is the real actor faces replacing drawn faces at important moments. I thought Onizuka's expressions were the best you can find in anime, but Mind Game's way of doing it is on par. It's hard to make a potential viewer imagine the art of Mind Game with words. You really need to just see it. I will actually be bold and say that every anime fan should watch this movie just to see the way it is drawn. It's just that impressive.
There were only few characters in the movie. The main ones were developed quite well. I liked the distinction between inner and outer Nishi. It led to a different feel about the character. How confused he is (or was...) and shyness was and obstacle in his life. And the whole story was about change in Nishi after his visit in the heaven. Other characters were quite shallow and generic. But some of them were extremely wacky and that spiced the show quite a bit.
Overall, I'd say that Mind Game is a movie that I will remember forever for it's boldness, innovation and letting me be amazed by ridiculous, yet meaningful scenes throughout the movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 5, 2010
Time is powerful. It can destroy and it can create everything. From memories, to emotions. And that is what I felt was emphasized throughout the whole movie. However, everything that is grand or beautiful takes a lot of time. This is suggested not only by the name it self, but also by a lot of other different things, like the shuttle's flight, and the whole journey by the train.
Generally speaking, the whole story is suggesting us that such a powerful thing like emotion, or love to be precise, takes such a long time to be only weakened. Even though it was quite simple. No
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extreme plot twists you see in generic anime, no fast pacing and nothing that changes the flow and life of the entire humanity. It really is a simple story about one relationship, how it was destroyed by distance and time. Somehow I even felt modern society being criticized, but that could not be the case. However, I really liked how everything progressed. There were quite a lot of flashbacks, which were strengthening the feel of a bond between Akari and Takaki. Time skips did the role in engulfing the viewer in the characters emotions too. And that is why I like 5 centimeters per second so much. It really sucks you into the story. You begin to feel what the main character feels. And that is incredible.
The art was perfect, just perfect. In reality there is nothing else to say about it. It's just how every person imagines perfection. To me perfection in art is a masterful combination of technical side of animation and director's work. And in 5 Centimeters per Second it really was masterful. Watching it in full HD really showed me the technical side of the animation. But it wouldn't be perfect without splendidly done environments. You could say that each shot in the movie was a work of art. The skies, the snowy nights, the sea. Only watching this without taking care about the story and the characters would have been so melancholic and calm that I would have enjoyed it a lot.
That brings us to sound. I really can't say much about it, besides it being perfectly blended with art. Their combination created before mention atmosphere and let us feel the temper of the movie better.
There are only 3 characters in the movie. Their development was pretty good but not as deep as I expected. Their emotions are felt through the screen and speakers like they were actually someone close to you. It was quite realistic, but only concentrated at one emotion - love.
I enjoyed 5 Centimeters per Second a lot. Everything in the movie was done so masterfully that I couldn't see anything but the screen for a whole hour. I was so dragged into the story and characters emotions that it made a amazing impression to me. And that little philosophic view into time and how modern society has forgotten it's power and meaning spiced it up to my liking.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 3, 2010
Mushishi is definitely a masterpiece. Mainly because it is the most original anime I have ever seen. Well, of course, there are other very original animes. But to my mind, the difference is, that all those animes were later copied. The word "copy" might be to harsh. We could say that other animes, were created, following the same idea with more or less similarities, but I have not heard of an anime so similar to Mushishi, that you could say it is not original anymore. The scale of its uniqueness is still enormous, even if we compare it to other media. Well, you might say,
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that there are other episodic animes with weird stories and new character introduced each time. But that is not where Mushishi's originality lies. The point is in its atmosphere, the whole idea of the world, and the stories themselves.
And those stories are my favorite part of Mushishi. To a person who hasn't watched this anime yet, I'll try to describe it. In each episode, the main character Ginko travels around the world and helps people with Mushi problems. And every story will be fascinating to everyone. Because at first look, those stories are just fun to watch. Some are goofy or hilarious, some are extremely emotional and sorrow and some just make you feel happy. But! If you try to dive into the depths of every story and understand it inside out you will find mushishi very thought provoking. Some episodes provoke thoughts quite easily, while others have the meaning hidden under heavy allegories. And that is why everyone will like Mushishi, deep philosophical problems hidden under simplicity and fun. And the range of those philosophies is pretty wide. From something as basic as connection between humans and nature to the complexity of emotions and the meaning of life and death.
Another amazing part of Mushishi is its atmosphere. It is truly outstanding because it's so soothing and relaxing that you could just fall asleep watching it. The environment is perfectly synchronized with with ambient sounds and music creating a unique atmosphere similar to Tarcovsky's movies. The budget does not seem to be top notch, and technically speaking its mediocre. But the director's work makes it up with usury. The idea of mushis and how they look helps a lot. They blend into the entirety enhancing the soothing atmosphere with those shining, tingling, wavy creatures flying around everywhere. All this sums up and becomes a phenomenon in the world of anime art.
Like in every episodic anime, you will meet a lot of different characters that you will forget quite easily. Besides Ginko himself there are few important characters introduced in the backstories of Ginko, but the main story, or should I say stories, are concentrated around one-time characters. They are usually created in a way to help the idea of each story. Sometimes symbolic. But we also see realistic characters in episodes where they are psychologically analyzed. But no matter what kind of character it is, when you watch Mushishi, you get really attached to them feeling their pain and sorrow, or joy and happiness.
All in all, if you are wondering if this anime is your type. I'd say wonder no more, because Mushishi fits almost every type. Except maybe action, but to my mind, action lovers will enjoy the relaxing atmosphere as much as everyone else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 30, 2010
Story 10/10
Action takes place in near future. Year 2029. Technology has advanced to a point where we cannot distinguish a human being from a cyborg. And that is probably the main question of the whole movie. It tries to answer it the whole time. What is life? What do we consider life? What defines life and human beings? These are the questions asked by the great philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Sigmund Freud.
The way the questions are being answered is quite original and not too harsh for a casual viewer who can still enjoy the movie without straining his brain. Generally speaking - the plot.
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The development is really thrilling and unpredictable. It begins with a terrorist disarmament and a car chase. And ends up with an epic battle which shows us the limit of humans. What should and should not be done by us. What can we decide ourselves, and what is determined by something we will never understand. And it is not meant for us to understand.
Throughout the movie we get to see few episodes that are a combination of several landscapes of the city and an appropriate soundtrack. This builds up an excellent atmosphere. Makes us believe we are actually living in such a city where humans have advanced technology but are not living happily. This moots us another deep question. What is the purpose of technology? To make our lives easier? Then where is the limit to it when it only makes it more complicated? Haven't we already passed that limit?
So to speak, the plot is amazing, it has nice unexpected twists, action, atmosphere, dives down deep into human psychology and tries to answer philosophical questions asked since 600 B.C.
Art 9/10
I have to say I was really impressed. If we take into consideration the fact that the movie was made in 1995, it is outstanding. Probably the best art I have seen in such old anime movies. Character movements are really natural, I did not see flaws in there. But then again, I was too concentrated into the plot to catch a lot of details. The surroundings were detailed, but not perfect. I liked the views of the future cities. They were not too modern and polished like we imagine our future. It was realistic. Back alleys, thugs, trash old billboards. All of it created an amazing atmosphere where you can actually submerge into the world. All the action scenes were well drawn. The gun fights, car chases, etc. The background was not forgotten while concentrating on the rapid focal point like we see in many new animes. The nudity was done very well. It was not conspicuous. It was really subtle and pat. It is another detail that build up the atmosphere.
Sound 10/10
I really loved the songs. Especially the ones played during those scenes where we got to see the city imagery. The sound made me draw a parallel between the future world and prehistory. Meaning that we only advanced technologically but not morally and mentally. It is still the same world. And humans have not changed inside.
I have watched in the original Japanese Audio like everything else, therefore I will comment on the voice actors. I think they fitted characters well. I particularly liked the voices of Makoto and Bato, main characters. I don't know why but it kind of fortified their personality.
Character 8/10
Makoto was a very well designed character. Even though it seemed that she had a ghost, she seemed emotionless when she needed to be. A sharp-witted mind of her lets her complete missions flawlessly. I don't how are all the cyborgs in that world but she seemed to think quite deep while not working. The conversation with Bato on the boat showed her true self, and emotional and confused creature. She is questioning herself the purpose of life, her origins, adaptation into the society and if she is human enough. And the fact that she is actually questioning herself like that makes her a human being.
I am giving character development only 8/10 because it seemed that Makoto was the only one that was actually developing. All other characters were quite straightforward or pretty shallow. And Makoto herself was not a masterpiece.
Enjoyment 10/10
Now this is another part that Ghost in the Shell truly shines at. I really loved the way this movie tingled with my mind. This is not a movie that you can just sit back, relax and watch. It's an intelligent and complicated movie. And that is what I like. It might not be for everyone, especially the casual viewer. But even they will enjoy a movie as a pretty good Sci-Fi action thriller.
Overall 9.4/10
Ghost in the Shell. Probably the best Sci-fi anime there is. It also surpasses many live action movies, like Matrix. Yes, it does not have as much fighting scenes as other movies we see, but that's why it is great. Anime is deep. It asks us what life is and many other philosophical questions. But it missed something to be a masterpiece in my opinion. A longer plot would probably drag it to a 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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