You were brought to this foreign land.
In this Corner of the World is a Japanese wartime drama set during the second world war but plays out more like a slice-of-life show if you were to examine it closely. The movie features around a young girl named Suzu Urano who spends her childhood in Hiroshima. She is suddenly shipped off to another family as a product of arranged marriage to meet her would be husband Shuusaku Houjou who is the successor of the household.
A significant portion of the movie centers around the household activities that Suzu is soon accustomed to. She is for the most
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Feb 12, 2017
Ao Oni The Animation (Movie)
(Anime)
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Recommended
Monsters only appear if you believe them - Nakano, best boy (2017-2017)
Story (10/10) The movie story is very original, much better than the game as it only relies on shock value. This movie has no plot holes and has excellent foreshadowing to boot. Art (6/10) I did not like the CG used in this, it reminded me of SIMS. It was ok but it could have been hand drawn instead. ... Sound (8/10) The music was not that good. It was nice for a horror game anime. It was forgettable at best. Characters (10/10) Instead of the GOAT cast of Takeshi and co, we have Manabe and co who are much better and feel more real. I actually cared about them this time, well fleshed out as well. Enjoyment (10/10) I hated spamming the control button in the game just to exit the door. The anime is better in that regard. I would recommend this show as I loved it. Contender for best animu of 2017!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 24, 2016
Occultic;Nine
(Anime)
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Recommended
TLDR: Skip to final paragraph.
Water’s bottom, many people, drowning, giant cow-tits…transmission died. Clearing out the elephant in the room. Nikola Tesla never had an illegitimate child as he was a virgin who devoted his love towards a peculiar pidgin. What if I told you he did father a child, and this child capable of being a poltergeist, has managed to possess someone all this time. Occultic;Nine is a show that explores the occult and probes into the spirit realm. The series scrutinises paranormal activities and tries to rationalise it in a scientific manner, hence tries to inform us that anything can be disproven my science. ... Occultic;Nine had one of the worst opening episodes that I’ve experienced in a long time. The pacing was frenetic in the sense that it was uncontrolled and hard to follow. How on earth do you adapt a whole light novel volume into a single episode? The standard is usually 4 episodes per volume but this series is purposely shooting itself in the leg by having the nerve to do this. This series is a combination of the Tatami Galaxy and Durarara at its finest. The lightspeed dialogue combined with a relatively large cast has conceived a child in the form of Occultic;Nine. The child inherited some of the undesirable genes and turned out inferior to its parents. I’ll explain why. The plot is pretty much focused on the detection of ghosts, material or not. Material ghosts are detectible with the latter being unrecognisable. Gamon Yuuta, our high school NEET runs a blog dedicated on the occult, only to find himself caught up in a crime scene. The murder of professor Hashigami, a leading researcher in the occult field, causes panic for our distressed main character who flees from the scene to avoid getting prosecuted. Good move there as Japan’s judicial system is seriously flawed. The murder wasn’t the main incident of the show. An intentional mass suicide of 256 people in Inokashira lake sets the precedent for what entails later. The discovery of the corpses in the morgue reveals a shocking truth. The concept of being alive while looking at your own corpse seems alien to most folk. This sounds contradictory but bear with me as the show does explain the circumstances later down the road. The situation is that some of our main cast are alive without feeling dead, the idea of being conscious after parting with the material body can only be explained through science. Now talking about the main cast, the series does switch around from person to person giving different perspectives. Our main character Gamon Yuuta is being instructed by a voice from a radio. This reliance on a tool indicates that he can’t get things done properly. I compare it to stabilisers on a bike, which is what this character is going through. He doesn’t have any independence and his actions are limited. Narusawa Ryouka known as Ryo-tas by Gamon is a person whose physical traits defies the laws of motion. Her breasts are so unsightly, that every time she makes an appearance which is usually accompanied by a silly dance. She is literally known as the big-boobed girl who serves no purpose until later on where her character becomes the focus and not her melons. Hashigami Sarai is the son of the murdered researcher and just like his father exhibits an extreme amount of intelligence which is not normal for his age. The knowledgeable Sarai is able to deduce problems and other riddles in the blink of an eye, which to me is just incredible. Geniuses exist but even then, he struggles on some occasions making it somewhat realistic. Aikawa Miyuu is a high schooler who is extremely skilled in fortune telling. She has built up a reputation due to the fact of making correct predictions. She is a character for the audience to relate to as she doesn’t comprehend scientific jargon just like myself. Her quirk is surprisingly useful when it comes to putting the pieces together. These four characters are the most important to the series with others such as Minase Ria getting their own screen time but aren’t worth talking about. The show is produced by A-1 animation, which in recent times has gotten quite some stick for churning out series like the Asterix War. The art style is a breath of fresh air with the character designs being relatively unique. The only downside is Ryo-tas whose has been fetishized with enormous breasts. No fricking way is it breast hypertrophy. The animation as expected from this studio is relatively good with most scenes being aesthetically pleasing and generally fluid. It would be a stain on the studio’s portfolio if it did have poor animation but I’m glad it met my expectations. The sound is amazing and is composed by Yokoyama Masaru (Your Lie in April, Plastic Memories) with it just adding to my immersion to certain scenes. The mix of electronic and contemporary rock music through auto-tuned measures immediately catches my attention by sending a statement. The use of casual jazz music in the downbeat scenes is a good indicator for the tone shifts. Lastly, the music is great at setting up a creepy atmosphere with extensive use of fading in/out and selective piano compositions. The music used generally follows a certain tempo to match the timing of certain segments, this is useful for scene transitioning and makes for some good cinematography. TLDR- The first episodes annoyed me initially but this show manages to redeem itself as it goes on. The mystery regarding the incidents are cleared up in a way you wouldn’t expect. The plot twists cannot be understated with it being interlinked with events. They may not all have a direct relation but by following the lines you gradually see the bigger picture. I would definitely recommend this series for those willing to give it a few episodes. In food terms this is slow cooking, which is higher praised than the generic fast food shit.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 23, 2016
Lostorage Incited WIXOSS
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
Disclaimer: This is the 3rd instalment of the WIXOSS and would advise watching Selector Infected and Spread beforehand. Spoilers for prequels in this.
For a quick summary, skip to bottom paragraph. The chains that bind us the most closely are the ones we have broken. The ‘lost storage’ part of the title is some great wordplay as it can be substituted for lost memories which is what defines this anime. The protagonist in question Homura Suzuko has returned to her hometown only to find out she must participate in a WIXOSS game that involves LRIGS. Morikawa Chinatsu, a childhood friend who has experienced hard times with her ... family’s financial position makes a declaration to Suzuko. Chinatsu without a moment’s hesitation firmly tells her to disappear as if she were unsightly. Chinatsu is adamant that she will regain happiness by severing all her ties with Suzuko, who is left stunned and speechless from their meeting. The WIXOSS game in this instalment has changed its rules, with the most noticeable one being that males are now participants this time round whereas in the prequels it was restricted to just females. The consequences for the game have changed dramatically, with winning and losing being dependant on the number of coins a LRIG user has. The LRIG user loses their personality and effectively dies when their coin’s total reaches to zero. The user’s LRIG takes possession of the former host’s body and continues life as planned. This is much like the LRIG switching bodies with their users once they became an eternal girl. Memories are the strongest themes associated with this version of WIXOSS. The notion that one would retain fond memories and try to block out unpleasant ones is the norm. The idea of altering undesirable memories is something that many would approve for due to its benefits involved. However, even when a LRIG user has obtained the 5 coins required to change a single memory, it never goes as planned as one has to reexperience that memory, which may prove to be repulsive for some as was the case for Mikage Hanna. Just like the other instalments it’s still a lose-lose situation with nothing but hardship and despair awaiting our participants. The bond that Suzuko and Chitose share goes back many years to the time they were still in elementary school. Personal circumstances dictated that they would not be reunited until sometime later but that didn’t stop Suzuko from keeping her in the back of her mind. The matching key-chain is a solid representation of their relationship, even though Chitose trampled on it declaring it was all over between them. Suzuko still was optimistic that their friendship could be restored and was genuinely concerned about her wellbeing. The girls have had their fair share of problems with Suzuko arguably having it the worst. The simple matter is she lost her mother during the separation stage and returned only because of her father’s work commitments. Meanwhile, Chitose’s family business went under with her family having to relocate most of the time due to the job insecurity involved. This doesn’t give the right for Chitose to act all obnoxious because of the fact she has suffered all this time. There was never a reason for Chitose to hate her knowing deep down she honestly liked her and saw her as the ideal friend. The antagonist this time is a man named Satomi who is known as the broker between the LRIG users. The shady man can set up matches for his clients who are desperate to earn some coins. The strange thing is that nobody suspected him of being a LRIG user this whole time. The fact is that LRIG users can identify each other within a certain radius but can’t detect him is baffling. I thought that all LRIG users had to carry their LRIG cards around but he never did which was surprising. It is known later that he challenges others to a battle when they are at a risk of being erased all together. To him, the act of ending one’s life is deemed to be irrelevant as he derives pleasure from the opposition’s anguish. The level of corruptness found in him was pitch black meaning he was a lost cause from the very beginning. The ability for him to nonchalantly carry out murders from a personality sense is made redundant when we find out it’s a former LRIG now in possession of the body. He wasn’t evil for the sake of being evil and I just found him to be a poorly written antagonist along with the plot conveniences. There is extra symbolism that needs mentioning. The LRIG template seen in the very beginning of the opening is an important discussion point. The white girl is the LRIG before users insert their personal memories into them. The template LRIG before then is a pure entity, meaning it has neither positive or negative memories. I would use the analogy of a new-born infant who enters the world as being sinless with nothing to be judged on. The LRIGs reflect the mental state of the user with Suzuko’s LRIG resembling Chinatsu and vice versa. The themes to be honest are a lot more engaging than the other aspects of the show such as the card battles which are secondary in nature. Now on to the technical aspects on the show, with the art style being quite different from its predecessor. The prequels had a design being dubbed dark moe which was true for those who sat through it. The art style is less moe than before but has much better character designs along with the fact you can’t have moe guys. There was a need to conform to a more traditional look even though the setting stayed relatively the same. The background art with some of it being CGI looks vastly improved in comparison to the prequels. The actual animation seems to have taken a decline in quality with it looking less fluid than before and more of an emphasis placed on still frames and such. There are also occasions of sloppily drawn characters which is just a minor gripe of mine. The sound by Maiko Iuchi (A Certain Magical Index, Heavy Object) was relatively tame compared to the other series she has produced music for. There was extensive electronic music used in this one which would be found mainly in the card battles. The tempo adjusts to the intensity of the scene which is determined by the situation involved. The voice actors did a decent job which was expected of them but Hashimoto Chinami who played Suzuko kind of irritated me with the prolonged “Chi-chan” cries making her sound like a child asking for forgiveness. TLDR: All in all, this was a relatively decent addition to the WIXOSS series but I find to be poorer in terms of script quality but in terms of thematic depth, it’s right up there with the characters holding it back. The production side to it felt adequate but feels like only the bare minimum being met in standards. The show is watchable but definitely has it faults here which is reflected in my score.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 23, 2016 Mixed Feelings
I’m throwing this out here, the Japanese sure are obsessed with Isekai related works. The concept of being transferred to a fantasy world where the use of swords and magic is commonplace is noticeable in Drifters. Many light novels and manga are based around this setting, due to the fact there are more constraints associated with the regular world. How does Drifters differentiate itself from other series that use the Isekai format?
The answer is it doesn’t, the plot is relatively straightforward with it being a large-scale war fought by two opposing sides. The Drifters along with the support of the Octobrist organisation are pitted ... against the Ends led by the notorious Black King. The Black King whose identity is shrouded in mystery, vows to destroy the world completely by erasing all types of civilisations to form his new empire. Complete destruction for a new foundation isn’t unheard of but this goal of his doesn’t come off as being unique. The main characters are the Drifters in question opposed to the End’s planned conquest of the world. The drifters in this show are highly regarded historical figures who seemingly on the brink of death, find themselves in the inconvenient situation of participating in this deadly conflict. The series focuses on Japanese figureheads with the likes of Oda Nobunaga sticking out like a sore thumb. The drifters before entering the new world are randomly transported into a white corridor, with Murasaki a generic salaryman waiting for them. This man who radiates ambiguity is known to be playing a game with some childish lady named Easy, who is in control of the Ends. The whole plot is based on Murasaki with his drifters duking it out with the Ends whose strings are being pulled by that of Easy’s. The whole process of entering the white corridor is unexplained making it a genuine concern of mine and hopefully it is cleared up eventually. Drifters is an action-fest with many episodes falling under two categories – battle preparation and plan execution. The Drifters who are foreign entities have been given death warrants by the Ends and are known to be a taboo among the common populace which includes elves and dwarves. You’ll see many episodes of pure uncensored fighting that involves the drifters but to me has no substance until they get the information regarding the current situation. Once the drifters realise who their true enemies are, the plot rapidly advances with the most intriguing aspects coming in the pre-battles. There was an occasion where the drifters ran out of guns for the excess gunpowder the group made. The clever Oda Nobunaga devised a plan in which he would make replica guns through the expertise blacksmithing provided by the Dwarves, it’s a generic stereotype that had me smiling due to its practical nature. It’s aspects like these that make this show a compelling series to watch instead of it being branded as being mindless action-fest. The series is character-driven with not much screen time going to actual worldbuilding. The lack of exposition regarding the world bothers me considering there are so many topics to discuss about. The Ocktobrist organisation are known to be siding with the drifters and its members are the deployed with the task of protecting said drifters. The Japanese figureheads Shimazu and co are accompanied by Olminu who is a specialist in defensive wall magic. The reasoning behind the existence of Ocktobrist is unclear, all we know is they are allies of the drifters which may have been instigated by Murasaki. The drifters entering the fantasy world will have dramatic effects on the land they occupy. The Orte empire is well informed of this fact and will persecute anyone who are convicted of helping the drifters. The Elves helping Shimazu to safety resulted in their village being razed to the ground. The slaughter that ensued between the drifters and Orte soldiers sets up later events. The drifters take command of the remaining Elves to retaliate against the empire who essentially regard most demi-human species as trash. A lot of this show manages to involve conflicts not related to the Ends making it feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The last thing that needs to be stressed is the selection process needed to become a drifter or end which depends on the person’s allegiance. The people who end up in this world are so random which suggests they are hand chosen by the game players Murasaki and Easy. The drifters can range from a glorified Punic military commander to an average Japanese WWII kamikaze pilot. Murasaki picking just Japanese and American historical figures is surely disadvantageous. Why limit yourself when you can choose stronger fighters in Sparta and Genghis Khan? At least Easy has some variation in choosing people like Jeanne D’Arc. Going on to the technical aspects of the show, it is animated by Hoods Drifters Studio who are newly formed. The animation is superb and has exceeded my initial expectations considering there are few instances of poor animation. The fact that it is does not use 3D modelling or the like was a concern of mine with military shows. I wish Berserk (2016) got animated by these guys… The art style needs to be addressed, as the show incorporates a lot of supposed ‘comedy’ which I don’t find to be funny as it’s usually a miss on most occasions. The use of chibi versions of characters to save on production costs kind of backfired for my enjoyment. The comedy could have been limited but then again, the show would just be action-packed throughout so is understandable but still crap in my opinion. The colour palette is very dim and murky with it being lightless on many occasions. The blackish appearance is repetitively used with no colour variations being applied. The sound for an action focused series must be of high quality to contribute to my immersion which is key to my enjoyment. The soundtrack delivered in my opinion with it encompassing a lot of heavy hitting rock music that just oozes passion, combined with the stellar action sequences just makes for an entertaining experience. Some of the music pieces such as “Chakra Destiny” are capable being listened to by themselves and are just brilliant as insert music for the show. I’ve come to the opinion that I do find the Drifters anime to be an unfinished project. There are so many unanswered questions waiting to be resolved which can’t be done in a single cour time frame. The technical aspects of the show are solid to say the least but the plot is evidently weaker in many departments but still makes for a fun show. Hopefully the second season can answer my questions, as right now the show is leaving me in the dark for the most part.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 22, 2016
Fune wo Amu
(Anime)
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Recommended
DISCLAIMER: Amazon Prime have low-balled this series hard. Crunchyroll would have done better with advertising.
This anime has gone under the radar, sure it may just revolve around the mundane task of creating a dictionary. However, the real beauty lies in its simplicity with it being complementary to its setting. This will appease slice of life fans but for those seeking something different, you may need to look elsewhere as nothing ground-breaking occurs. A dictionary is a ship that traverses the vast ocean of words. This tool that we take for granted enables us to search up any word we like. Now I can only represent ... for the English-speaking anime community but going by the Oxford dictionary, we roughly have 170,000 common words at our disposal. How does one compile such a large amount of information? The answer is a dictionary, which is our best companion during our education days and beyond. Compiling a dictionary is a complicated and time consuming process which is evident in the Great Passage. It should be noted than meanings of words can change with time, therefore words can be lost but will be balanced by the new words created. Majime Mitsuya who has been redeployed to the dictionary editorial department, finds himself in a challenging position. The amount of cross-checking between older dictionaries is emphasised to ensure no words are omitted. This burdensome job must be taken seriously as a single mistake can lead you back to square one, which would be hard to endure for those meticulous with their work. Truth be told this anime would get stale fast if it weren’t for the fact that it focuses on the business aspect as well. This is where the character Nishioka Masashi begins to shine, as he is witty and takes a no-nonsense approach to his job. The man who is blessed with excellent social skills always has a way with words to get the best results for his department. The high standard of work produced by Nishioka eventually gets him promoted to the public relations department, ironically where he got rejected when he applied to company. Nishioka had fantastic chemistry with Majime and the rest of the department. The news of the upcoming transfer came as a shock to the department but this did not sway Nishioka. On the contrary, this boosted his work ethic making him more committed as he devoted himself towards the creation of the Great Passage. Now going away from the dictionary creation process, Majime develops as a person considering he has now found an occupation that meets his strengths. Majime in the beginning is viewed as being timid and quite frankly dreadful at interacting with others. Working as a pitcher for the sales department only just exacerbated the problem, as it was a poor fit from the get go and only noticed by Nishioka. Majime is known to be quite an avid reader which has ultimately led to him possessing a great vocabulary ideal for dictionary work. He has a strange but unique hobby of observing people that exit the train stations. The key idea is observation, which is one of the skill sets required for being a dictionary editor. This anime knows when to be subtle, and paying attention to certain aspects gives for a wonderful experience. Majime is an individual who struggles to express his feelings and as a form of self-deprecation usually comments about being socially incompetent compared to Nishioka, who is far more of a smooth talker. Majime during the series has written a love letter to his crush Hayashi Kaguya, who conveniently happens to be his landlady’s granddaughter. The man retreats to his room after handing his love declaration, which to me is a sign of his lack of confidence due to the fear of being rejected. I’ve waffled on about Majime and Nishioka without mentioning other characters. Araki Kouhei is the employee who had to give up his full-time position to care for his spouse, who was hospitalised for some apparent reason. He mentions his regret having to leave all the work to Matsumoto-sensei who is clocking up the years. Matsumoto has the goal of wanting to finish the Great Passage, to the point that he overworks himself just to fulfil his objective. This alone suggests the amount of dedication put into the work and can only be achieved by those passionate enough to do so. Passion can be found in every job which was the case for Kaguya who aims to be a professional Japanese chef. There is a stigma attached to women working in this sector as it is a field dominated by that of men. Majime learning about her occupation gives him encouragement to complete his own task of making the dictionary. Kaguya as a romantic partner does not get as much screen time than Majime, which kind of leaves her in the dust in terms of character development. It would have been better for the series to explore more with her situation in the culinary field, as it is subject to sexism which quite frankly makes for a more interesting story than the Jisho-tanzu sequences that aren’t important. The time-skip came at the right time after Nishioka’s departure to take up his new position in PR. We get a new character introduced in Miyoshi Remi, who finds herself in the same position that Majime used to be in. Except this time that Majime is now the experienced editor and can lead his fellow colleagues convincingly. The work towards the completion of the Great Passage concludes in a satisfying way. It is realistic as few jobs can be done effectively without experience some problems occasionally. The animation by Zexcs is standard with there being no poorly animated sequences. The character designs are quite detailed and sufficient with it reminding me of the designs used in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. The animation itself is very limited in the sense that it only takes place in the workplace and Majime’s house. I would have liked to seen a change in scenery but there are occasions when it does switch backgrounds, such as the restaurant that Kaguya works at. The sound is composed by Yoshihiro Ike (Ergo Proxy, Shingeki no Bahamut) who has quite the accolades considering his recent works. The opening “Shiokaze” is vibrant and engaging with the music being used as insert music that just gets me pumped up every time I hear it. The ending “I and I” is less memorable with it being more of a relaxing song to listen to. A slice of life does not need great music to carry it but it should be complementary to the situation. This anime won’t blow you away with flashy scenes but concepts like hard works pays off will sure to put a smile on your face. It has given me a different perspective on how one can find work enjoying even if it is the most mundane of tasks. This is a good show with strong characters making it easy to recommend.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 21, 2016
Soushin Shoujo Matoi
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
DISCLAIMER: Had to re-upload because of fallacies in my opening statement.
Matoi the Sacred Slayer is an under-viewed show but don't let that stop you from watching it if you are a fan of the magical girl genre. An area that I find MtSS to be particular lacking is the plot/story department which is what this show struggles with to a large extent. I can’t confirm whether it wants to be an episodic show with an overarching storyline or that it undergoes the linear format which is not the case through retrospection. It all takes off with shrine maiden Sumeragi Matoi being shocked with the fact that ... she has managed to awaken her latent magical abilities. This act of transforming in to a magical girl is called a Divine Union, which is the process of undergoing a physical connection with a supernatural God that has manifested itself and is unique to that individual. This enables her to consciously borrow powers from her aligned God to partake in battles involving demons that are commonly known as Nights. These ‘Nights’ are evil demons that take possession of unsuspecting individuals, hence allowing them to manipulate their bodies to their liking while deriving the host of their own consciousness. There isn’t much to add to this point as most episodes follow the same format of encountering a Night at some point. The lack of variation is the downfall for this series, the residue of depth that is left to be filtered is a quick process because in the end its just magical girls fighting enemy demons. There is expansion in the form of how the world functions combating these walking disasters known as the Nights. The anti-creed of Fatima is an organisation based in the Vatican with the objective of banishing all the Nights from the world. They send out two individuals with one of them being Clarus Tonitolus aiding in the efforts of fighting these atrocities that are out to do harm. It is known she can activate Divine Union herself but it is usually controlled due to the fact she is supervised by her superior Cariot, who she reports to on a timely basis. A character known as Haruka Luciela makes her introduction representing a scientific organisation called the IATO. Her role is basically to record the findings of Nights through special instruments which can detect their presence as they appear which isn’t hard to do considering they all turn up next to Matoi. There is some exposition with regards to the world and the number of dimensions that exist in the universe. The peaceful Gods and mischievous Nights vacate a total of 24 dimensions which sounds kind of silly at first, it just feels like an arbitrary number. They could instead have a single different dimension housing the supernatural entities to simplify things but that’s just a minor gripe of mine. The lack of plot does not give rise to poorly written characters, quite the contrary in fact. Matoi having just reunited with her detective father Sumeragi Shingo is struggling to adjust with her new surroundings. The idea of calling her father on a first name basis feels strange but understandable when you consider the fact she was living with her grandparents just recently. The absence of her mother who disappeared without a trace is noticeable which was brought up countless times by Shingo. The awkwardness is there, as Matoi finds it a challenge just to make small talk with her only existing parent. The longing of her mother is a dream that she wants fulfilled sincerely and her father shares the same exact sentiments through his inner monologues. An aspect that irks me is the lack of openness between each other, as Matoi keeps her identity of being a shrine maiden of Divine Union a secret to avoid implications. Kusanagi Yuma is apparently the cousin of Matoi considering she is also a shrine maiden herself and is quite clingy at times. She comes from a family of priests who specialise in the act of exorcism and are quite informed about Divine Unions and Gods in general. Yuma is known to have had her abilities sealed, as they leaked out during her early childhood but has managed to reawaken them through determination and sheer persistence. The other user of Divine Union Clarus is given some characterisation during her screen time which is seen through her flashbacks. A close friend of Clarus’ was left in a vegetative state after being attacked by a Night which has only fuelled more fire to her hatred of the Nights. Her objective in the end is to help the goals of Fatima to prevent similar situations from reoccurring. Other than that, she doesn’t progress that much and remains largely a static character. I didn’t mention this until now but one aspect I found to be just stupid and quite frankly unnecessary was the reversion of Divine Union. The reversion causes the magical girls to lose all their clothes, effectively leaving them buck naked for all to see which in this case are middle schoolers, who are under the age of 16 and are classified as children. It got so bad to the point that Matoi was contemplating on stocking up on clothes considering her closet was running bare. This isn’t a pet peeve but an actual concern of criticism. This would be resolved if this wasn’t inserted in the script and countless shows have gotten around this issue – see One Piece and logia devil fruit users. Now on to the general aesthetics of the show, the character designs are looking smooth but for the females is giving them that moe look to appeal to the targeted audience (them otaku). The designs are kind of exaggerated with the eyes being enlarged but not to the level of Clannad. The characters are distinct in terms of appearance making them easily distinguishable. For example, Haruka is the blonde lady wearing the cream office suit accompanied by her large bosom. That was an extreme example but the fact of the matter is, she’s only there for fan service. The animation by White Fox is fine but there was no ‘Sakuga’ scenes I could find and it feels inferior to Re;Zero’s animation which finished last season. It might just be the art style in general but nothing stood out apart from the flashy colour palette which contributed to the glitter and flashiness. The sound is composed by Katou Tatsuya who is known for his works Mirai Nikki, Shoukugeki no Souma just to name a few. The show incorporates a lot of wind composed music which is evident in the opening and other segments. The use of the drums is emphasised to the point it may be a standalone piece or in combination with other instruments. The drums are personally to my liking as it’s complementary to the Japanese setting which involves shrine maidens, who are most familiar with its usage. The voice acting for the characters was alright but for characters like Yuma felt way too childish compared to their age, other than that nothing stood out as being noteworthy. To conclude, the show is not that imaginative compared to other similar series. You'll get a happy ending in this one for those seeking that type of finale. It's kind of meh to me as it never really resonated with me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 17, 2016
Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
The battle royale theme is no stranger to the anime medium, with many series incorporating it in their storyline from Mirai Nikki to the Fate Series just to name a few. The method of execution is what usually enamours the audience, which is a quintessential requirement for its overall success. Now can be it done with magical girls? The answer is a yes but the degree to which it is provides an entertaining storyline is variable. Anyone who is well versed with a last man standing format should have a complete grasp of the problems associated with it.
The conspicuous social experiment that enables a total ... of 16 magical girls battling each other to the death sounds amusing at first. The chosen participants are selected on a purely random scale each with their fair share of problems to boot. It looked rosy at first with the magical girls conversing with each other in the common chat room, only to take a sinister turn moments later. The news of the passing of the friendliest magical girl instilled fear and worry which was only going to get worse from this point. A battle royale truly begins when the first participant dies and Nemurin was the catalyst for the violence and destruction that soon follows. The rules for the social experiment need to be addressed as I find it to be a major concern of mine. The objective in the magical girl raising project is to avoid getting the least amount of magical candies which are obtained through honest good deeds that signifies one being a Samaritan. The reward for aiding the vulnerable populace is clear but to me becomes irrelevant for the magical girls. Why waste your time when you can simply kill other magical girls to fulfil the requirements of the game? This quota in place holds no significance for the murderers who have no qualms about ending another’s life which include the public. It’s either dying by having no magical candies or being murdered by another magical girl. This is such an ideal scenario for a devout pacifist… The game-master who oversees the pandemonium Fav is a pure mystery at this point. This fluffy and shrewd AI thing that only appears through holograms (through the communication devices) is just incompetent in my eyes. The thing isn’t even neutral like you expect him to be and is aligned with a certain magical girl in the social experiment. Fav is unjust, there is no concise and clear instructions made despite having an initial rundown on the rules. During the experiment, Fav is always adjusting the rules which can be agitating in my eyes as a third-party spectator. For example, always reducing the total numbers of magical girls limit to better ‘distribute’ the magical candies. I’ve explained it above and this shows you why it’s just a simple killing game with no substance. The level of violence and profanity is a tad bit excessive in my opinion, with the show presenting majority of conflicts as being gore-fests meant to shock the viewer in all means possible. Death plays a pivotal role in how the characters develop, with many of them being direct casualties thus I find it redundant that some mourn for their allies despite being informed of the consequences. What the series performs well in are the number of alliances that is evident between participants. The concepts of deceit and betrayal is magnificently done with certain plot twists arising because of that. The amount of backstabbing witnessed in this social experiment is a valid representation of human behaviour when dealing with a life or death situation. The idea of being pitted against one other is detrimental for one’s frame of mind and this anime does a superb job at portraying the despair and bleakness. This was also going to be a complaint of mine from the beginning and so you could do say that it was inevitable. Plot armour is deemed to be one of the most exhausted plot conveniences. If you have main characters such as Snow White and Ripple, it is only natural you expect them to make it till the end. The same rules apply to overpowered characters such as Cranberry and Swim Swim who display abilities that are overbearing compared to other magical girls. The survival of the fittest concept works wonders in a battle royale format considering it weeds out the weaker participants that die off first. This show could have been a great subversion if it tried to do things differently but instead we got the usual which is disappointing. The characterisation of the cast is a bit mind boggling at times. Every single magical girl is given flashbacks which I find to be quite lazy and uncreative. The show is being melodramatic when it presents the sad backstory of a girl/boy trying to evoke emotion out of me. Every character has similar unfortunate circumstances making it difficult to differentiate characters based on prior experiences. The only one I can think of would be Top Speed who had a relatively normal backstory, she is not a deranged individual and exhibits qualities that of a kind and endearing person. The only dynamic characters I find even remotely interesting are Ripple and Swim Swim who’ve had various setbacks and proactively learn from them. The animation by studio Lerche (Assassination Classroom, Gakkougurashi!) is well produced and there isn’t anything being sub-par in quality. The action scenes which are frantic and erratic are well produced and goes hand in hand with the colouring scheme which just adds to my immersion. The art style which includes the character designs is generally pleasant. The designs for the magical girls are very cute and adorable (would be a discredit to lolis) which is synonymous with the sub-genre. Each character was given a unique selling point making it easy to recognise them instantaneously. The music composition is done by Iga Takurou who is a relative newcomer with hardly any titles worth mentioning. The opening was standard for a show but the ending was fantastic listening to repeatedly as it complemented the background scenery. The insert music used within the show usually only manifested itself in the intense scenes, where events leading to deaths were made better through careful track selection. There were plenty of occasions in which individual piano scores were used during somewhat miserable scenes which I found was appropriate. The music is not the selling point of the show as other aspects such as animation are much better. I’m not really impressed with anything apart from the animation and art style which are top notch for its setting. The plot however is kind of forgettable and certainly needs to be revised to give a better experience. This is adapted from a light novel, so you may check that out if this series is to your liking. The lack of clarity with the game rules is probably its downfall which is a shame as it had much more to offer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 17, 2016
Shuumatsu no Izetta
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
What could go wrong with combining a WWII setting with some cute magical girl(s)? Everything I tell you…
Izetta the Last Witch is something I was optimistic for considering it was an alternative take on the second world war which I’m sure many of us have studied at some point before viewing. The Germanian Empire is our like for like replacement for the Nazi Regime which was led by the infamous Adolf Hitler. To summarise, the Germanian Empire has gone on the offensive using arguably one of the best tactics in modern history. The ‘Blitzkrieg’ was designed to create disorganisation among the Allied forces which was ... composed of countries such as Britannia and Thermidor. The fictional small country of Eylstadt (modern-day Austria) which houses our main two characters Archduchess Ortfine and the last witch in question being Izetta, is on the receiving end taking blows from all the powerful Germania. The show fails to deliver on providing interesting characters apart from the main duo of Ortfine and Izetta. Ortfine during the war is saddened by the news that her father has passed away due to an illness. This incident has caused her to take up reigns, whilst being designated as the successor at the coronation ceremony giving her the ultimate task of leading her country. Being the sole monarch for such a tiny nation has exacerbated the fact of her wanting to protect to what is deemed as being vulnerable. That is the defining trait for our young Archduchess who for the most part doesn’t exhibit any other qualities which is what sets apart memorable and forgettable characters. She would be in the latter bracket as there is no major characterisation from her as the series progresses. Izetta is our heroine for the Eylstadt soldiers, who have been demoralised from the current conflict knowing they had no chance of winning against the stronger army. Izetta being a witch allows her to use magic in the battlefield which is not the magic that I had envisioned at first. There are no spells being made that resemble any sort of sorcery. Izetta’s magic is just having the ability to levitate certain objects such as torpedoes and lances which are just some examples. The magic used does create mayhem among the enemy line as it’s used in an unpredictable fashion. What concerns me though is the instances where she is pegged back by the enemies’ retaliation which is evident in numerous occasions. Despite being called the key to winning the war, she hasn’t shown enough for me to acknowledge her as being exactly that. As a witch, she does have her limitations, which is revealed through the information about the ley lines that are spread out through all of Europe. These hotspots as I like to call them are the areas where she can use her magic effectively without deteriorating greatly in magic usage. The best tactic to defeat Izetta was confronting her at a weak magic location but no there is more to that apparently. Izetta like any other superhuman entity will usually have some form of weakness aka their kryptonite equivalent. Funnily enough it does share a similar appearance to that of the kryptonite. I’ve been mentioning her magic but what defines Izetta’s character? She can basically be summed as being a sweet-natured girl of a placid disposition. Her objective in the current war is to protect the Archduchess and the country that she governs. It is known beforehand that Izetta has been given a verbal warning by her late grandmother not to use her magic powers excessively to the point it would get out of hand. She inevitably breaks this promise and proceeds to display her abilities in the chaotic battlefield. Her existence is predicated on the fact she will do all it takes to protect Eylstadt even if it means her dying. She’s come close to kicking the bucket but the God of Death hasn’t exerted his influence that much. The show is suffering from other consistencies preventing me from enjoying it and it’s a shame as it looked promising in the beginning. A significant portion of screen time was given to an average infantry soldier named Jonas, who had survived his fair share of blows at times while it being questionable. The poor man dies because of an information leakage which resulted in his death… what was the point in showing his character for him to be dismissed like that? Another occasion where the plot felt loose was during the banquet held in one of the Allied nations. The fact that Berckmann managed to appear out of thin air to confront the Archduchess should be raising alarm bells. What I find baffling is how he managed to get past all the security considering it is being hosted for all sorts of delegates during wartime. This just adds to the plot convenience needed to advance the storyline. There was also the instance where Berckmann’s assistant managed to sneak into the countryside of Eylstadt for his espionage mission. The man was picked up by the retainers of the Archduchess who never questioned the validity of him abstaining from conscription. A spy has just managed to get a ride with Bianca and co who are viewed as being competent and act as being professional. This group managed to harbour an enemy for the whole time without suspecting him once, just convenient if I must say. The writing is abysmal through proper retrospection. There are countless more but I shared the obvious ones that were glaring to me. Another pet peeve of mine is the fact that the Germanian Empire has somehow managed to invent cloning of humans, which may not sound too outlandish at first. The idea of cloning existing in an alternate timeline that can enable for magic isn’t too far-fetched but if you think about it, DNA mapping was never introduced until the 1950s which is after WWII in this case. My case is closed. The animation by studio Ajia-do is probably one of the factors that enticed people into watching as well as the setting involved. The character designs are designed for the moe aesthetics, which is evident in Izetta who just seems cute all around. The designs are reminiscent to what was used in Sword Art Online, this show has an A-1 Pictures feel to it but there is no relation whatsoever. The animation is crisp and fluid when it needs to be in the action sequences but is generally consistent with no substantial drop in quality. The sound for the most part is befitting for a show set in this period. The array of tracks which are mostly heard in the battlefields usually consist of orchestral compositions. The variations of vocal sequences add to the immersion during intense scenes but felt lacklustre with nothing being too exceptional or noteworthy. The opening song used feels more like a J-pop song and does not really match with the themes to be honest. The ending song takes more of a dramatic feel to it and is genuinely feels better to listen to. VERDICT- Positives – Decent Animation Negatives – Terrible directing along with a poor script. The plot convenience is unbearable at times. Bland side characters and no variety. The fan service is heavy with this one and feels inappropriate at times. I didn’t mention the moe maid lol
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 27, 2016
Cheer Danshi!!
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
Before I begin this review, props to Waseda University Shockers for giving us this anime!
Watch the link to get an idea for the anime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE7QecvR3fQ Men doing something like cheerleading? Not unheard of but this show is the definition of male empowerment! I believe no activity should be restricted to a certain gender with this show being the beginning of countless opportunities. This a series that has the sport cheerleading under the spotlight as we follow the lives of two former judo participants who embark in this new challenge. The main character for this show is undoubtedly Bandou Haruki, who is a college student that has the ... background of being from a prestigious judo family. This is evident in the fact that his father runs a dojo/gym in their name and that his older sister Haruko has won countless titles throughout her career. He then makes the decision to abandon the sport after suffering a severe right shoulder injury preventing him from participating. His best friend Hashimoto Kazuma follows suit in his decision as they do everything together since childhood. After this life decision, they immediately pursue cheerleading for a fresh start by trying to recruit members to start a college club, which would later lead to the formation of the Breakers. Initially they were ridiculed for even trying but our two main characters never struggled and persevered dutifully by researching the basics and applying it in front of campus. This caught the eye of a certain few which led to them joining and a chain reaction ensued since then with more volunteering to join. Now one thing that needs to be disclosed is the ridiculous pacing which is apparent when a recap is inserted 5 episodes into the broadcast. The first episodes mainly focus around 6 characters who are the initial core of the group with them being the founders. Mostly everyone is inexperienced to some degree which is shown when every member undergoes a brutal training process just to be fit performance wise. This implies that they should be naturally strong and have a good sense of balance. Mizoguchi and Toono who are one of the earliest to join struggle with this aspect, due to the fact their bodies aren’t equipped for the sport. Haruki and Kazuma are not subject to this because they are already in good shape from their time doing judo but still encounter problems in the process. Tokugawa Shou, who is an important character later on is adamant on not joining until the group can get on his level, which is the purpose for these episodes. The group weren’t called the Breakers until afterwards when the numbers reached to around 15. As more people joined, the same process of training had to be applied for everyone to be in sync. If they had the time to make a recap episode, then surely they could’ve accommodated another episode to deal with every member settling in to the new organisation. The characters are numerous but there is just no reason to talk about everyone, so I’ll narrow it down to the three most significant characters with them being Haruki, Kazuma and Shou. Haruki is an individual who has defected judo once he realises he cannot keep up with the strenuous workload. His shoulder injury he sustained from a grappling move has somehow led to him having a fear of heights. Yes, this is the man who fell from less than 2 metres at best has resulted in this joke of a character. This is totally unnecessary when he hangs out on his apartment’s rooftop just to socialise and is a base for further cheerleading training. It is also known that he sees his older sister Haruko with an inferiority complex despite the fact that he is a fervent supporter of her when she performs in matches. The irony being is that being the physically stronger sex doesn’t always guarantee success which is the case for our unfortunate young man. It’s not like she doesn’t have her fair share of problems… Kazuma on the other hand is just as talented as Haruki and even exceeds him in some aspects as being a better well rounded character. Kazuma is the focal point of the Breaker’s group when he is assigned the position of captain due to being a very vocal and earnest person at heart. The man is the superglue who resolves disputes that may occur and is the regulator to preventing any infighting. As stated earlier, Kazuma is a childhood friend of Haruki which has given him the status of almost being a family member in the Bandou household. I should rephrase that; he is treated to being the equivalent of a family member which just shows you how far their friendship has come. The reason for him choosing cheerleading is simple, as both his parents were active cheerleaders in their youths but even that does not explain the sadness that lingers in his mind. Finally, we have Tokugawa Shou who has the most difficult circumstances among the main cast. At first he was rejecting every proposal for him to join when it is known he is terrific at gymnastics. Once he is impressed with the setup and general abilities of the group, he is convinced in the direction the Breakers are heading and sort of acts as a player-coach because he is the most valued and experienced of the lot. Things change when they recruit Satsuki Takashiro to supervise their progress, only for it to not go down well with Shou who has a complicated relationship with her, which is later explained in his backstory. Despite this, he is still a team player and is ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the team. Even with less screen time, I find him to be a far more intriguing character compared to Haruki who comes off as one note at times. The art style and animation is certainly subpar compared to the norm that is produced nowadays. Brains Base have had some spectacular looking shows in the past such as Baccano! And Mawaru Penguindrum only to find themselves with Endride and Cheer Danshi this year. You don’t have to be an expert to say this is reminiscent to what Studio Deen had to go through but they are making a solid comeback. The character designs are somewhat basic but are peculiar at the same time, I could never get tired at looking at the same faces. Since this is basically a sausage-fest, this should be well received by the ladies who this time have good looking characters for once! The animation is just below average as there are too many instances of poorly drawn scenes when it’s not related to cheerleading. If only the whole show could be drawn like the opening segment, then that would make me a happy man. The sound is slightly better as there are moments where I was solely focused on the tune that played in the background over the other content. The OST has not been released for me to identify that part of the soundtrack but is usually always played at the end and gets me every time in the upcoming previews. Once again, with a cast so large you will expect top seiyuu to perform their characters with the likes of Okamoto Nobuhiko playing Kazuma perfectly. Another thing to note is that the seiyuu for Haruki who is Yonai Yuki, is completely new to me did a splendid job as he hasn’t worked on many shows. If you’re looking for a sports anime, then look elsewhere as this is a show that may feel underwhelming in many aspects. Sure the competitive drive is there but I feel this is more of a drama-oriented show personally. It’s lacking in production values but won’t necessarily stop you from enjoying it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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