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Dec 17, 2016
So the most popular, "Number One"-Anime on this site can't possibly be bad, right? Well fear not, this is not meant to be contrarian or going against the masses for the sake of being cool or simply different, no. I can wholeheartedly support the notion that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is nothing short of a fantastic show. Really, the only goal this review has, for me personally, is to find out whether it's really great or even a masterpiece. You see, since i always make up these reviews as i go, i am not really sure myself ate the start. But let's take a look:
Story: The
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story is outstanding, let me get this out of the way first. It's such a carefully crafted plot, with all the foreshadowing that a story of this kind carries around. However, it is always a little subtle, so that you can only really spot it on a rewatch. That said, the story is also rather straightforward, it's nothing to crazy or outlandish, all the concepts seem to be grounded in this world, that's not that different from ours, except that some people are capable of using a kind of magic called "Alchemy". It gets a little crazy towards the end, but even that is always established throughout the show, always in the back of the head of the Elric Brothers and the viewer. It deals with some heavy themes, the loss of loved ones, the desperate desire to bring them back, the punishment for ones naive sins and how to deal with it, how to bear it or maybe fight it and to protect the people that still remain. Also, to bring it down the basics: what it means to be human. While it has some truly tragic scenes, enough to make you shed some tears, certainly, there is also just a lot of fun. Really,the story is able to invoke the whole range of emotions, something that is always tough, or even nigh impossible, to do.
Art: Something the art in this show really manages to capture is facial expressions, especially for Edward. When his eyes go wide because he saw something horrible or if he is angry, simply by being called out on his height, the drawings always capture his emotions perfectly. But the same goes for other characters, Roy Mustang, Armstrong and Hohenheim and even Alphonse,fascinating enough. He doesn't even have a face, but just the way his eyes get smaller or just completely go dark, you always get a idea how he might feel in a moment. I gotta say though, not a huge fan of the art style. It looks nice, certainly, it's still pretty good, but it's just a little too basic to me. It' kinda hard to express what i mean, but i just really like stuff that goes a little off the rails. In contrast to that, FMA:B goes a more realistic route and that is okay, it's something a can like, but not completely love. Some of the character designs are a little silly, mostly in the Homunculus-department, but then some are absolutely brilliant, even if a huge chunk of the characters wear the same uniform. Not that this is a problem, the blue looks pretty sharp. So the art is overall very good, even if it seemed like i had a lot of qualms with it. I didn't, i blew it out of proportion, just a tad.
Sound: Something that really stands out here is the voice acting, that is some real quality. Romi Park does such an amazing job as the lead role and she is pretty much the whole reason i could never watch this show dubbed, even if always hear good things about the english voice work. I mention her specifically, but the whole cast is actually amazing, without fail really. Then again, i don't actually know japanese, so it's hard for me to spot a bad actor, i suppose. To my amateur-ears, it all sounded great. And then there is the habit of some great Ending-transitions. They are so memorable and always so brilliantly timed that they really make for the best scenes. Especially the door-scene, that might be my favorite in the whole show. The Soundtrack is nice as well, especially the main theme, always brings a tear to my eye. I just wouldn't listen to it separately. There are also a lot of openings and endings and they all range from pretty good to great. My personal favorite might still be the first opening, but over the rewatch i also grew fond of "Golden Time Lover". The sound receives a final verdict of great.
Characters: This section, in tandem with the story might be the best part of the show. The main characters are great, the side characters too, the villains as well, i guess you can see where this is going. They all have their struggles and motivations, even if for some the motivation is simply:"Father says so." Even that works, simply because the cast is so massive that you really get all kinds of characters. At the same time, however, the how manages to avoid all the common tropes. Yes, Edward is a bit of a hotheaded shonen-protagonist, but at the same time, he is a straight-up genius, levelheaded as soon as he actually enters the fight his short temper brought him into. They are many examples of that, but that's something everyone should discover for themselves, how much there actually is to the characters. Just want to say that you won't find your twintail-tsundere or your dandere with some shade of blue in her hair. Not to say that i don't enjoy these archetypes, but if your fed up with more of the same, Brotherhood delivers something different. That alone wouldn't be enough for outstanding Characters, but again, i won't say too much, only that there is a lot of depth and development.
Enjoyment: In 64 Episodes, i was never bored or had the urge to check the time on an episode. That is truly amazing, some regular 12 episode anime don't manage that. So what else could i say to prove my enjoyment? That the adventures of the Fullmetal Alchemist Alphonse Elric and his little assistant threw me through all the emotions i already mentioned. The pacing is always perfect too and the payoff for some of the slower segments is outstanding. So this will be the score for my enjoyment, i loved it, not every episode, but i at least liked them all.
So in the end, it only barely misses the ten and i think that's okay. Fullmetal Alchemist is something anyone can enjoy and i wouldn't judge you if you said it's your favorite anime of all time. For me, however, it's a little too grounded. I mentioned this before, but i prefer something a teeny bit more complicated. Really, only a small margin, cause this show is pretty complex too. Does it help if i mention that my favorite anime is either Monogatari or Madoka? Yeah, i am one of those people... . But there you have it, a great anime with pretty much everything you cold ever want, stellar animation, a good story with a nice ending and a whole bunch of likeable and complex characters. This is why we watch anime, right? I certainly do.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 24, 2016
Hellsing is old. So old in fact, that i remember MTV-commercials from my childhood, announcing a brutal, bloody horror-anime at nighttime, absolutely not suitable for children. Well, back in the days, i hated horror, it scared me, little as i was, so i never dared to look and when i was up late, i quickly changed the channel, so that the creepy vampire with the glasses and the red hat couldn't get me. Good times. Funny times too, given that hellsing isn't even creepy. Violent, yes, insane at times, absolutely, but not scary at all. Now, as i matured (heh) i can safely say i
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really like hellsing, even if the Ultimate version completely blows the original out of the water. I won't be able to avoid comparisons between the two, and i will also delve into some spoilers, i kinda have to.
Story: The story is pretty messy. At first, it's rather straightforward, Hellsing, an anti-vampire organization fights the bloodsucking creatures and a poilce girl gets caught in the conflict, joining Alucards side. Easy enough and Ultimate actually stays with this simple plot, except that it expands on it until it's just all-out war between all kind of interesting factions and characters. However, none of that happens here, in the end there is just a shitty villain our anti-hero has to overcome and while that is entertaining, i wouldn't call it in any way good. The funny thing however: There are countless parallels between the original manga-story and the different path the anime had to take, cause it caught up to the source material. I won't go into detail, but it's easy to say, only that hellsing does it way worse and on a smaller scale. A shame, really, everything they adapted faithfully is actually really good, but once it strays from the laid-out path, it just gets weird, without still being cool as hell. I also just hate incognito, but that's maybe a point for the character-section. The story is poor, as my final verdict, it's really hard for me to really think of a plot that happened here. The ending was okay, however, ambiguous, but at the same time, kinda meaningless.
Art: Now of course it is a rather old show, so comparing it to Ultimate is not fair in this instance. That said, i don't think the art is all that great. There are moments of beauty, mostly involving Alucard and the facial expressions are pretty much on point, too. But the animation tends to be sloppy, the character-design of the original characters, the ones that never appeared in the manga, is either generic and bland or just straight up terrible. But again, the adapted content is good, dragged down to mediocrity cause of Incognito looking so stupid and vampires with dog faces. Or was that supposed to be a bat, it was stupid in any event.
Sound: This is were Hellsing wins over the Ultimate-series. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, it gives the whole anime such a unique feeling and it's probably the only reason i even enjoyed the show. In fact, i never heard something similar in an anime again and that's a damn shame. The opening is great, the ending sounds like a Bon Jovi song and the tracks inside the show ooze with style. A combination of this soundtrack with the OVA-series would be a dream come true...the voice-acting is great as well, no argument there, but it gets even better in ultimate. The sound is outstanding, nothing really compares.
Character: Everyone is insane when it comes to Hellsing. As insane people, they smile a lot, grin maniacally, even if you put a bullet through their head. Everyone has a different method to their madness, but in the end, nobody is really sane. Well, except for all the human-characters the anime brought in, just generic soldiers, often they even look the same, get a name tagged on, only to die at the end of the episode. That's really cheap, nobody should feel anything for these guys. And there is another problem, almost every character-arc remains open. Alucard, but that's okay, somehow i think he is less of a character and more of a omnipresent force of nature, the rules don't apply to him. But anyone else as well, Walter, Seras, Anderson (there's not even a final showdown between him and Alucard, unfogivable!) Integra basically gets the most development, but there is no closure here as well. The rest is pretty insignificant, the main villain is a joke. He has no motivation, his origin is never explained, not even the people who supposedly control him are revealed. His end is really cool at least, but that's it. So there is a lot of potential, as we can see in ultimate, where everything goes according to the plan of the author, but the original Hellsing-show never uses any of it. I can only call it fair.
Enjoyment: My Enjoyment derives out of the first episodes and the soundtrack. I seriously had to force myself to rewatch the last few episodes, simply because i forgot about the brilliant musical moments, but once i was back in it, i really liked it. I only question why you would even adapt a manga that is so obviously unfinished. Apparently there was still a lot of content to be done, looking at ultimate. The answer is of course money, advertisement for the source-material and that's absolutely okay. Hellsing deserved it and it spawned a great show later on. It's just not this one. But again, the music saves it, 8/10 for my enjoyment.
There is not much more to say. It's the FMA Brotherhood-situation, so the only thing i want to do now is watching ultimate. I wonder how many times i mentioned it in this review, it's really kinda ridiculous. Anyway, i can recommend this show, it's not a complete failure, hell, it's a classic for some people in my age, but it could have been much more and it was, later on.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 30, 2016
The third Movie in the Evangelion Rebuild-Series deviates hugely from all it's predecessors and i wouldn't say in a positive way. Primarily, 3.0 is bombast, not only in the way of the animation, the artwork or the action-scenes, but also on an emotional level. It tries to impress, to leave us with the same impression the original series left in many people, but does it without any subtlety, which ultimately brings the fall of the whole construct. It is a continuation, the story after the Third Impact or the "Near Third Impact" as they call it. (Yet Wille still mentions preventing the Fourth Impact, that
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seems a little jumbled.) If this is what you were looking for, here it finally is. I know i did and i can't say i am disappointed, simply because i had no expectations at all. I could never predict the twists and turns of Evangelion, cause frankly, the author might be insane. So i was surprised, when i found a story in this movie, that simply isn't all that special and instead still rehashes old concepts or plotpoints. If i have to see an Eva "ascend" one more, i swear to God...
Story: Here we are, fourteen years after the third impact and the world has gone to shit. That changes things drastically and removes something i always loved about the show entirely: Realism. You could relate to these people, simply by the way they acted so realistically. Yes, the frame of the Show still consisted of giant, organic robots battling abstract Alien-Organisms, but at it's core, at it's heart it was simply a story about humans. Not anymore and how could it if you introduce so many fantastical elements? Teenager, who won't age anymore, Space ships and space battles, the movie literally left the grounded approach of the original and soars to the sky, where i simply cant follow emotionally. I'm not even sure i want to. And at the same time, there is a lot we already went through, Rei struggles with her origin, Shinji doesn't want to pilot Eva, Gendo wants to bring about the Human Instrumentality Project. Nothing really changed, except for Misato's motley crew trying to stop Gendos Ambitions. Even by copying the same old, they are still so many plotholes. How is Gendo even able to live for 14 Years, alone save his advisor in the abandoned Geo-front. How can they find food, why are they still able to build another Eva-Unit? In the past multiple countries had to work together to create one of these monsters. But suddenly, despite the utter destruction of the world and all it's resources, technology advances into a futuristic state, with flying ships and admittedly badass cyber-goggles. Give all that, the story is actually terrible and i am sad that i have to say that about an Evangelion-Entry. I rate it poor, that wasn't decent at all.
Art: Doesn't mean that his review will be a trainwreck, the art for example is fantastic. I love most of the new character-designs (most, what the heck did you do to your hair, Ritsuko?). They are subtle, but still show us a drastic change. And in contrast i also love the designs that didn't change, how Kaworu and Shinji still wear their old uniforms. The Animation is just as good, the fights, though i dislike them for story purposes, the piano playing, it all looks really well done. Some images are jarring, really creepy and strange, but not in a bad way. If they split the giant thing in Gendos Basement in half, i might have lost my mind (loop-theory confirmed) Great Art, that is all that's left to say.
Sound: They changed a lot of the classic Ost and i can't say i like that. It just adds to the feeling of watching something else. Something that's only wearing the skin of your beloved franchise, waving and grinning while it still drips blood. Jeez, this went dark. Um, anyway, the Piano playing i liked, i think that's my favorite scene of the whole movie. The rest is pretty orchestral, but only that, nothing left of the variety we heard in the show way back. Voice acting also didn't really left a lasting impression, in Evangelion of all places... I think the sound was good, the step away from the original really didn't sit well with me.
Character: I liked what they did with Suzuharas sister, best girl right there. I didn't like what they did with Suzuhara. I start with these two, cause there is nothing much to say about the main cast. Nothing happens characterwise, Shinji is actually insane by now and i can't even blame him, Rei is gone or rather, her character is reset, completely and Asuka is just pissed, but also slightly more mature. Obviously, she is 28 now, its not weird anymore guys, praise Anno! Misato is a badass now, so is Maya and i outright hate her new crew-members. What the hell are those tropes doing in my deconstructing Mecha-anime?! They are bland and easily forgotten, i hope the writers forget about them too for the next movie. Gendo is doing Gendo-things. It's still nonsense that he lived years alone with Fuyutsuki, are they even human at this point? Mari is actually useless to the point where i don't understand her character. Did they just need another pilot for the Mecha-battles? Maybe and in that role she is pretty entertaining. Watch her be the big Bad in the end...i'm joking of course. Last but not least, Kaworu. I really liked him, ironic enough, he seems to be the most human, with all his emotions. More screentime than he ever had before, maybe thats why he is so interesting all of a sudden. I give this section a fair, that's really all it was. Funny how we went from a 12 to a 6.
Enjoyment: Yeah, was okay, i was pretty entertained. That's all, i already talked about everything in the other categories. Just release the last Movie, either bury it already or surprise me and save our souls. I give it a seven, the fights looked cool and Shinji and Kaworu are a cute couple.
So what's left to say? I spent a long time now, watching and reviewing Evangelion. It started at a really high point, one of my favorite Anime and now it slowly sinks. Will the last movie surface the franchise before it drowns. But when i see that ugly ass merged Robot in the preview i already want to puke. Man, i wish it all would come tumbling down again.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 18, 2016
It's still unnecessary! I genuinely think that the rebuild movies add nothing of value to the overall franchise. On the other hand, they don't damage it either, so i can at least appreciate that, but i still wonder about the point. Even the animation isn't that much better, the only thing that's improved is the look of the angels. They are freaky, i like it, but i had never had any complains about the old designs. So lets go into detail.
Story: They are more changes than they had in the previous movie, even introducing a new character and some new Eva-Units. But at the same
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time, it rushes through the major points of like 15 Evangelion-episodes while still adding stuff. That sounds like a disaster, right? Well, i wouldn't go that far. What i will say though: I didn't like a single change they made to the story. Not compared to the original show anyway. Beware for spoilers in this part, cause i wanna list some of them. Asuka becomes the pilot of Unit-03. Thats kinda dumb, though i understand why they did that. There just wasn't enough time to develop Suzuhara and they had to get rid of Asuka for the second change i really hated. Mari goes up against the final angel in Unit-02. Now i'm a sucker for berserk-moments, when a character goes completely nuts but this one didn't do it for me. And what the hell happened to Compatibility between Eva and pilot? That doesn't seem to be important anymore. Also, Shinji seems to be more in control and i don't think i like that either. For example, when Unit-01 awakens, Shinji still controls it in a way, that kinda defeats the point of this creepy monster, that doesn't bow to anyone's will, at least in this instant. And don't block his vision during the dummy-plug scene! I could rant forever, but let me just proceed with my judgement: 6/10, it was okay, but also very rushed.
Art: Still top notch, i`ll say that much, but again not much better then the original. There is more CGI at work, but not in a bad way, it's not too prominent and never looks stupid. I already mentioned the great Angel-design and that is my final rating. Nothing changed much, the art is still great. I had goosebumps at one shot of the final.
Sound: They are some great new songs, cheerful compositions with cute, child-vocals...that play at the most gruesome scene and the literal end of the world. I like it, but i also understand that they wanted to recreate the third impact in End of Evangelion, that's my assumption at least. Of course that didn't work at all, but it was still nice. Still no Cruel Angel Thesis, life is suffering. But the sound is great, overall.
Character: The Characters. They are changes. Let's start with someone less important, Kaji. He barely appears this time or at least he doesn't do anything new. Hell, they took out his plant watering scene and even burned his garden! How dare they! I already said that Shinji is more in control, Rei develops a personality and Asuka is still messed up, but her Issues are only touched on the surface, as to remind us and to say "yes, we know about her past, we just don't have the time right now". Mari is...too happy? She just seems always capable, readily piloting the Eva and is even able to push it to new heights. I don't know, i hate that the term Mary Sue floats around in my head while thinking about her, because i don't like that meme. I will withhold judgement on her until i know more, there is another movie after all. If this is a loop, than i guess it's interesting what happens to Rei. If she is the fourth one and thereby learning to be more human. Maybe they just wanted her to be more interesting and likable, i can't say yet. I would have really liked to see that dinner, even Gendo wanted to attend, that would have been interesting. But alas, suffering took the priority, as is Eva-tradition. I still think the Characters are very good, but the original did it better.
Enjoyment: My Enjoyment gets lower with every one of these movies. Too much time i spent rationalizing what was happening, why they did some of the changes that happened and the moments that were supposed to be hype never completely got me. I wasn't bored, i say this almost every time, but that's because that is a really important point to me. If i have to drag myself through an anime, then i would completely bomb this category, leaving it with a really low score. Since it was still entertaining, i'd call it good. But its almost a six, too much of it rubbed me the wrong way.
My question was not answered. I still don't see the purpose of the Rebuilds. Now up until this point everything was a rewatch, but i've never seen the third movie yet. I know it deviates a lot from the original and it finally does what i always wanted: telling the story after the Third Impact. So i am excited for it, but at the same time, i'm also cautious. Don't play with my heart Anno, don't do it. Don't ruin your masterpiece. You haven't yet, its still okay, but just...you can (not) improve it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 16, 2016
The first thing i want to say is: "rebuilding" Evangelion was in no way necessary. However, the result is not too terrible, it just doesn't manage to reach the original show, not at all, at least in this first movie. That depends on a certain viewpoint though, i will talk about that in the first section, the story. Never break a working pattern, after all.
Story: For all intents and purposes, "You are (not) alone" is a recap-movie, summarizing the first few episodes of the classic with some new animation. A lot of scenes had to be omitted, some they added, the gist of all the
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events is still comprehendable. They are two ways to look at the rebuild-movies, either as a remake or a sequel. Now isn't that interesting? Cause there is pretty heavy evidence that maybe, after the events of the "End of Evangelion" the whole world entered some sort of loop. On the top of my head, the sea being suddenly red and Kaworu literally saying it happens again. Of course, i'd never thought of this, all that i am writing here someone else compiled. There is more to this theory, but until anything gets directly confirmed it is just that. A theory. Now if i had to rate the story, i'd call it good. Wait, i actually do have to rate it. I just felt something was missing, but of course, if it is a sequel, then we already saw everything in the show before. Maybe that is what they were doing, similar to how brotherhood rushed through the start, simply expecting the viewer to have already watched Fullmetal Alchemist. It remains to be seen, for now, this is what it is.
Art: A slight improvement, but that's the point. It's nothing major. Over ten years passed and the old show still stands up to the remake. I think that's really impressive. They are no stillframes and other budget-preserving techniques at work anymore, but as i mentioned, those scenes added to Eva's charm. Given that it's a modern work, i lower the score this time. The Art was impressive back in the day, now it's only very good.
Sound: It's the same sounddesign, the same voice actors, even the same OST, just with minor changes. Minus the opening and ending, what a tragedy. And since i don't like the ending theme for this movie, i give it a great this time. It's largely the same, but i think they rerecorded all the lines. Well, they better did.
Character: Now i want to say nothing changed, but that is not the case. It can't be, cause all the time the show spent on these great characters is simply not there in a movie. Again, if this is a sequel, then all the development happened and it's kinda forgiven. But we don't know that, so what remains is a similar characterization, it's just less deep, less detailed and it adds nothing new. Really, if you watched the show you don't learn anything different, no new aspect of these characters and if you watch this first you miss out on all the great things Evangelion did with it's characters. The characters are still good, it's not like anyone changed or acts out of line...so i guess i can give it an eight. I certainly wasn't impressed by the same stuff again.
Enjoyment: I wasn't bored, that's good. But basically watching a recap, i also wasn't all that entertaining. The last scene between Rei and Shinji got me again, i'll admit that and bringing Kaworu in a little earlier is interesting. I guess a rate my enjoyment fair. I certainly look forward to what else they have in story for us, when the story starts to stray from it's original predecessor.
Maybe Eva only worked in this certain moment, created by a person plagued by depression. Isn't that a terrible thing to say? But i see this movie and i kinda wonder what's the point of it. Do they regret not having the funds back then so they want to redo it in a better look? But nobody really cared for that anyway, the deep themes and characters sold Evangelion and made it such a classic. Or maybe they really want to finally clear things up, to give us the closure we simply never got. Or it's about money....yeah, probably. How sad.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 14, 2016
This truly felt like an ending this time. While the original show provided some sense of closure, all it really did was bringing Shinjis character arc to a nice end. Now what about all the other characters though, what about their deep and scarring issues? They finally get resolved, i can tell you that much already.
Story: Looking back, most of what happens in this movie already happened in the final two episodes, it was just so hidden and incomprehensible that nobody would ever really get it. So in a way, the End of Evangelion compliments the Ending nicely, in showing us what happened beforehand,
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providing the physical side rather then Shinjis experiences of the Human Instrumentality Project and afterwards, showing us what happens after the "Congratulation". Well, it's rather depressing, in a way it erases the nice feeling i had at the end of the show. I don't really mind though, after all, Eva was never about a good feeling. So this time, it's like they are actively trying to make you miserable. Its even crazier, it's downright disturbing, it's more brutal then the show has ever been, but at the same time, it stays very real. At the start, that is, when it all comes tumbling down, nothing makes sense anymore and the laws of this world are out of commission. However, all of it is brought upon by humanity. Scoring the story is a little challenge. Do i look at it as a final episode, taking the show into account or do i take the story as its own thing, but then nothing makes sense, since you would be lost without watching the show beforehand. I'm going to call it great and kinda merge the two points, it certainly improved the overall plot, it explained everything much clearer.
Art: The art is insane. You could take some frames and put them on display in an exhibit. Especially considering how old this movie is already, that's really impressive. It is still very disturbing, some of the imagery and the faces Shinji makes are the grimaces of a person who got nothing left in his mind but sheer insanity. The Animation is great too, there is only one major fight, but it's so well done, so desperate and brutal. there is no way i'd score this anything else but a ten.
Sound: Pure Beauty, i think the soundtrack even improved. Every piece is so fitting, so perfect for the scenes. The whole movie is actually split in two and on the halfway-mark they play the credits with this great song, that just really sets the mood. And when they arrive at the climax underlined by "Komm, süßer tod" true magic happens. That scene is unforgettable, well, the whole movie is, really. And the voice-work, jesus christ. It's chilling, especially Asuka, whose actress puts her all in what she probably thought was the last time (but nah, rebuilds lol). I also really liked Gendo, i think he got more lines in this movie than he did in the entire show. So to sum it up, a ten. There could be nothing else.
Character: The characters...Some of them don't really show us a new side. The show already went over Shinji in all detail and Rei just kinda becomes the catalyst for all the events. She does show us her view on Gendo and i liked that, but this is where she ends. Sad, since she is best girl after all, but whatever. Misato and Ritsuko get a fitting send-off, everyone does, all the minor characters. Except for Shinjis schoolmates...wow, they actually don't even appear, that is a little strange. The stars for me are Asuka and Gendo here. The twintails-tsundere really was a mess at the end of the show, but here in this movie, she gets her best scene. Ever, really. Also we finally see Gendos standpoint, the big mystery...in the end he is just as human as everyone else. What happened to him i don´t really understand, but i won't spoil too much. 12/10...but the rating only allows a ten.
Enjoyment: The movie felt really short. Really, really short in fact it almost felt like a regular episode. That's crazy, by the way, cause the actual runtime is 1h and 30 min. What i want to say by that is: I was very entertained, i loved every second, no matter how terrible, how weird it made me feel at times. I had to spent the rest of the day fighting some existential dread, but i guess that's healthy once in a while. Loved it, nothing more to say.
This is it then, a almost perfect ten. Well-deserved i have to say, no regrets. And i already stressed this last time, but once again: Watch this show! If you actually read through all this and maybe feel spoiled of all the plotpoints already i can only say: You haven't seen anything yet. There is so much in this show that i simply can't grasp into words, so please, try it. It's art, it actually brings tears to my eyes just writing this. Must be this damn song..."I wish that i could turn back time." Ahem, yes, anyway, i will end it here, just watch it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 12, 2016
"Am i actually ready for this?" That was the thought that crossed my mind when i decided to rewatch Evangelion for the next review. Now, after some time passed and i went through it all again, i am still not sure. Smarter People then me analyzed this show and all it's hidden messages, page-long essays float around on the net. But i will still try it, cause what i can start off with is that Neon Genesis Evangelion is a part of my personal Top 5 list. And i never had the chance yet to just release my inner fanboy. If you want an objective
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look on a polarizing Anime, then i am afraid you have to turn around and leave.
Story: The story is straightforward. It's also jumbled and really complicated. Its genuinely funny. And it's crippling, depressive. Basically, it's like a rollercoaster, ups and downs, until it's only down, right into hell's maw. But then everything seems to be good again and we are left utterly confused but also kinda relieved. There is no conclusion at the end, no explanation of the events. There still isn't, even after the End of Evangelion and all the Rebuild-movies. But it doesn't matter, the story is just a stage, the couch in the therapists room, where all our characters can lie down and spill their souls. This is what Evangelion is about, not the fight against the angels, not the schemes of Gendo Ikari and Seele. They all just serve as a driving force and in the end, Evangelion abandons all of these pretenses and just looks into the characters as a final case study. And that is okay, it's amazing even, however the Story section is certainly the weakest part of the show, which doesn't mean its bad, no, it is very good.
Art: For an older show with heavy budget-constraints, Evangelion looks amazing. Be it backgrounds, animations, character-design, everything is an own piece of art. Everything in motion looks great, at times fantastical, then just really down to earth. However, there are a lot of still frames, most likely to manage the limited funds. It never takes you out of the experience though, quite the opposite and adds to Evangelions charm. When Rei and Asuka ride an elevator for almost a minute, without saying a word or moving at all, then you can either call that lazy or just an interesting display of a very awkward situation between characters, who can't stand each other. I choose the latter, so in conclusion, the art is great.
Sound: The Sound is insane, it's fantastic, the OST enhances every scene, supports them or sometimes, just completely contadicts them. Even then it just works. The Opening is downright iconic, nearly everyone who enjoys anime has probably heard it at some point. And the Ending, "fly me to the moon", a classic, changed for the show in as many variations as there are episodes. So the music is great, all the other sounds as well, weapons sound nice, the Angels, when they display noises, they sound really weird, otherworldly. The last words i have are for the voice acting, it's brilliant, the characters sound real in a sense and i never heard such desperate cries in an anime. So in terms of the score, the Sound is outstanding and that's not even enough to describe it.
Characters: If i could, i'd give this category, like, a 12 or something. The Characters are that good. When i first watched this show, Shinji seemed like a copy of myself, i recognized myself in a lot of his dialogue or just dialogue other characters had about him. Well, i got better, but i can still appreciate just how realistic Shinji actually is. Not only him, while i never shared Misatos or Asukas problems, i realize that these are real issues that some people face in their lives. While it is taken up a notch, simply for drama and as a reminder that this is still a piece of entertainment, it still remains that image of real people. Yet the characters are not always likable, they can be annoying, they can be detestable, they can be selfish, but of course they are, they are only human. Well, except that they are not, but what they are is realistic, all of them, the only one i'd almost exclude from that are Gendo and Rei. I have trouble describing my feelings here, as i said, smarter people talked about these characters, i suppose you should listen to their thoughts on this matter. All that is left for me is to praise it.
Enjoyment: That is actually not the word i would choose for my experience. Sometimes, i felt really bad, really uncomfortable watching this, cause in a sense it's TOO real. If you're looking to escape your troubles, if you don't want to think about existential questions, i'd stay away. But i would never advise that, take the challenge, expand your horizons and know that in the end, you might gain something. I like the ending, by the way. As much of a meme it is by now, i think it's a great last note to end it on. Never was i bored in this show, not for a second, so i can only call my Enjoyment outstanding. After all, Enjoyment doesn't mean that you felt happy all the time.
So i laid down my thoughts. I understand that i probably missed a lot, the reason being, that there just is a lot to talk about. I could probably fill 10 pages with my views on Evangelion and i would even enjoy it, but this is not the place, so i tried to restrain myself. I am only left to say this: watch it. You don't even have to like it, but everyone should have watched this. It will stay with you, whether you loved it or hated it, it's certainly unforgettable and just a part of anime as a medium.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 7, 2016
Man am i glad that i can finally wrap this up. This time, there is nothing like a slight depression when you utterly finish a show, knowing that you have to say goodbye to a cast of characters, at least until you maybe rewatch it again. But for Code Geass, there is only happiness. I mean, yes, Lelouch really is amazing, he deserves his popularity, too bad that the surrounding series just isn't up to par though. But this is about the last part of Akito's story, so this shall be our topic. First of all, no battered Leila in a ripped skirt, the
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promo-pictures are lying, how rude. Sigh...let's do it.
Story: I am done with this, in the end, it was still bad. Basically the movie consists out of the final battle between the Hyuga-brothers, and all their superiors and allies. This whole fight is actually really well done, unfortunately i didn't care for the characters at all, together with all their stupid decisions. Nothing seems to make sense, or maybe i am just not smart enough to actually understand it. There will be spoilers here beware, since i will talk about the things that i didn't understand. First of all, how did Shin get his Geass? From a skull? But that's against everything we learned in the main series. What's his power anyway, the same as Lelouchs or can he only order people to die? On this note, what is Leilas Ability? Is it a Geass-canceller, cause it is also blue? The weird woman describes it as a fragment, but what can it actually do? It does so many things, that its impossible to see any consistent power. That was really well done in the main series, how lelouch always investigated the parameter and turned this mystical power into something easily understandable. The powers in these movies however just seem like really bad writing. I am actually getting slightly agitated while writing this, so i will just conclude it here. I hated it, at the end i was actually laughing at how bad the story actually is. I give it a 2, which seems inconsistent, but all the time, i expected some explanations. They never came, in hindsight i should probably lower the score of all the other movies. I won't, just a thought.
Art:That doesn't mean that the movie can't score in the other categories. The Art is still on the same quality-level, i liked it. There is some actual nudity this time. Oh my, why couldn't it be leila or ayano though. I am sorry.
The animation is nice at well, really liked those quick fights, but i mentioned that before.
Sound: The same as always, i think they changed the ending, i really can't remember.
Character: All the character arcs are concluded in this movie, i'll give it that much. Shin is weird, he basically hates the world and by killing everyone he wants to set them free from this rotten hell. Twisted and insane is what i'd call that, but definitely entertaining. Leila lost her personality somewhere along the way, somehow she felt like a plot-device in this last part. Akito gained something, i suppose, don't really care. Oh and ayano is goddamn stupid. I also don't like how they are all cast aside in the end, to not interfere with the maincanon. But that complaint probably belongs to the story.
Enjoyment: Well i kinda had fun at least, but actual enjoyment? That's going too far. i don't know anymore, just take your 6 again, you retarded movie, you.
"So this is it, our final battle." That's not actually taken from the movie. So, we did it. It took a while. I got a little teary-eyed when i finished Haruhi, but this here? Oh well, i already talked about it in the introduction. The thing is, if they ever do a third season, i'd watch it. That's my conclusion, i think that conveys my feelings for Code Geass. Lelouch is cool, without him, this would all be abysmal and nobody would care.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jun 2, 2016
I am getting doubt about this, reviewing every one of these Ova-movies. Maybe i should have just done one at the end of all 5 episodes, but i am in too deep now to break the pattern. So here it is, the fourth entry of the misfortunes of leila and akito.
Story: From a story-standpoint, i think this is the strongest part so far. There is a lot of betrayal, schemes in general and Akito's brother gets more and more threatening. It starts with a nice action-sequence, but then it removes a good chunk of the main cast for the greater duration of the movie and
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leaves us with Leila and her merry band of sidecharacters. I enjoyed that, i was never that fond of Akito to begin with. That said, while the story did improve, i still didn't feel it at all. Engaged is not the word i would describe when i talk about my feelings for this plot. It was okay, i can't quite call it good yet, as much as i try. Also, how the hell did Hyuga capture Lelouch and Suzaku. Last thing they showed us, the knight of seven kicked the butt of Hyugas red-haired subordinate. But whatever, that is just another sign of the time-constraints, maybe this whole series could be really good, given a regular show with 20-something episodes. Maybe.
Art: It's the same art. Apparently i called it "very good", given my score. I don't know, that might be a little much, but i can't back off now. Also to note: less fanservice, they pretty abandoned it for this part. It was getting ridiculous, i gotta say.
Sound: Nothing new to report. The Ending is growing on me, but nothing to warrant a higher score.
Character: I think the Characters improved a little, especially the main-villain. I don't quite understand his motives yet, but there seems to be something. Maybe it's just raging madness, they still got one more chance to explain it. I don't like this ashley-guy. Was that his name? He is all over the place, first a violent psychopath who pulls the trigger of a 1/6th loaded gun on people, than he goes on a vengeful crusade and in the end, spoiler, by the way, he becomes the buddy of akito, just because he was out of bullets to shot him. Well, okay then, now i kinda want to lower the score.
Enjoyment: I'm being to soft, i don't actually enjoy myself that much watching these movies. I want them to end, i just want to get them over with, but not because i think they are bad, only...not that interesting. It's only a six, i can't give it an eight anymore.
One more. Then i can close the chapter of Code geass. I'm repeating myself. But it won't be a tearful goodbye. But hey, i don't want to jinx it, maybe the last movie will completely blow my mind. I just doubt it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 25, 2016
Well, it's starting to get worse. Maybe i'm just a little burned out when it comes to the Code Geass franchise by now, but this wasn't exactly great. Mind you, none of the previous movies were, but still, the 3rd installment is the worst so far. However, i am almost done with all of it, so i am going to pull through now, my mind is set, so let's talk about what i didn't like and what i liked about the third Akito the exiled movie.
Story: It starts stupid. Like, really, really dumb. Our heroes are broke, cause some idiot in the european army
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wants to get back at leila and then they get scammed into working for a bunch of old gypsys. Now the question i asked myself the whole time is: Why are they doing that? Just tell them off, don't do...that. Hell, they literally molest both Ayano and Ryo. Yeah, those are our heroic soldiers, what a great statement for the protagonists. At least Akito doesn't participate in all of the madness, but he still gets dressed up and follows their orders. Again, why? Clumsy Leila is kinda cute, but that's such a cliche by now, the sheltered rich girl. The rest of the movie is a subplot handling Lelouch and Suzaku and our main antogonist, Shin. That was okay, everything involving Lelouch is always an upgrade. That's really it though, there is some Geass-stuff as well, but this is all we get. I am not satisfied with that, especially since i don't even like the resolution so far to Lelouchs story. This can only be a 4, no matter how hard i try to find something redeeming.
Art: Nothing new here. I got my Lancelot fight (superhuman Suzaku still makes no sense, but whatever, anime) and that was pretty good. The fanservice is getting really overboard, maybe someone can explain to me why Ayano pulls the zipper of her already revealing, skintight suit to to her belly-button. That wasn't a negative point though, quite the opposite, heh.
Sound: More of the same, however! I will add one point for lelouchs voice, what a great man.
Character: Lelouch and Suzaku, even some C.C. That's it, moving on. Nah, just kidding, but those three certainly help. In setting up the antagonist for example, that one is actually threatening and absolutely ruthless, i guess that's what you want from a villain. Well, a motive would be nice too, but that's probably coming up. I hope so. To the protagonists, i can once again only talk about the attractive females. Do you see what that implies? That they are boring, really, especially Akito. He's Sasuke, that's all he is, it's lame. So i just stare at their bodies and these movies are very generous with showing them, so it all works out. Not really, it could be better, but then again Lelouch. I´ll keep the seven.
Enjoyment: The start made me a little angry, other then that, i enjoyed it as much as the previous movies. But the beginning annoyed me so much, that it costs two points for this category.
So what can i say at the end? Something clever? Hah, no, you're wrong here if this is what you seek. I still want to see the remaining two movies, but i start to think that there will never be any satisfying resolution. So i watch it for the booties. I don't, i'm not that much of a degenerate. Ugh, what is happening to these reviews, i need a timeout. Only two more...only two more. And then we'll see what's next. Something really good would be nice, i just want to fanboy all over a show, that could be fun. But we will see.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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