I haven't written a review in a while but this will be short. Also, don't be alarmed by my score because I rate things based on a personal scale of bias and a 5/10 is still worthy of attention.
I enjoyed Myself;Yourself much more than I expected I would after watching the first episode. Without giving too much away, I can say for sure this is one of the most deceptive animes out there betraying the initial impression it chooses to give off in the beginning; there are only a couple subtle hints here and there in the first five episodes that clue the audience in
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Mar 27, 2017
Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(10/13 eps)
I don't know if there is any other media in the world that could possibly pull off the things anime get away with. I just like to imagine a Hollywood production company trying to pitch a story about a dragon that turns into a cute little girl and wants to be the best maid there ever was to a room of TV show producers. Anime is truly an art that has mastered the ways of traversing the thin line between insanity and brilliance. Although, this isn't to say that there is anything particularly brilliant about Kobayashi san chi no Maid Dragon, but it is definitely
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brings out the sunshine after a long, dreary day.
In a world of moe with a sea of anime about cute girls doing cute things, how exactly does Kobayashi san chi no Maid Dragon (for short I'll call it simply "Kobayashi san" for the duration of this review) stand out from other shows similar to its premise? To be honest, there isn't too much different from many of the others considering it isn't the first to have cute girls who are actually a creature or beast of some sort that just happened to fall in love with some human who for whatever reason is constantly compelled to reject their love while keeping them around out of charity until love slowly blossoms in them as well. But while this is the formula that constitutes the premise of the show, Kobayashi san does take liberties with some minor details including the sex of the recipient of the cute girl's love. The "hero" of our story, who is the one the audience is meant to project themselves onto thus emulating a feeling of ourselves being the recipient of the cute girl's emotions, is a woman herself. Yuri isn't uncommon but I rarely see it used in this formula which was originally designed as male fantasy. This small tweak is in its own way a great tactic to expanding the audience because it includes both male and female viewers into the fantasy. The reason for this is the design and character of Kobayashi, who while being a female doesn't act like any other female characters in this show as she can appear very masculine and has less articulated sexuality in her appearance. At the same time, there are clear visual indications that Kobayashi is female (example: pony tail). Also, her reserved attitude, often silent demeanor, and her small eyes give her a sort of grey slate where she is allotted enough character to let her feel like her own person while also giving the audience some space to project their own self image onto her. She isn't bound too heavily to her masculinity or femininity, but she doesn't lack these to the point where she feels genderless and sterile. Her being a woman also gives a reasonable excuse to deny the cute girl's loving advances because she did not indicate being homosexual; this kind of trope is harder to pull off with male characters because it usually requires some sort of plot devise to keep him distant (the same could be said for clearly homosexual women). Other than this nice little tweak, Kobayashi doesn't add much else to the show other than being a sort of stand-in for the audience. Now, the show's true charm is brought in with the other titular character, the Maid Dragon. Named Tohru, she is a dragon who falls in love with Kobayashi when she met her drunk and in the mountains. Kobayashi drunkenly invites her to live at her place and is later obligated to allow Tohru to live with her working as a maid. The rest of the show doesn't stray too far from this original concept and the episodes are mainly dedicated to displaying Tohru's endearing efforts to become the best maid she possibly can and the people and situations that come with what that entails. The character of Tohru truly makes this show by being a positive and outgoing girl with a past depicted from the image of RPG fantasy dragons and their violent relationship with humans creating a sense of new perspective on a familiar setting. Tohru's past is clearly stated but we learn enough of what we need to know to understand and feel emotional connection to her, and Tohru's bias of humans, shaped by these past events, add for some nice little moments of growth and development for her along the way as she observes how Kobayashi interacts in society. There are a few nice points in the show that define and demonstrate the inner workings of human society in a way that Tohru can understand and learn from which allows her to grow into the lovable dragon maid she is towards the end of the season. These are all mostly positive points on the show, but there are certainly negatives that I need to address. My first, small critique is on Kanna, the young loli dragon that appears immediately after Tohru. In contrast to Tohru's energetic expressiveness, I believe Kanna does add a nice opposite by being straight faced and monotone and the animators know exactly how to articulate this to match her childish nature to make the ultimate machine of cuteness. However, I do find it rather off-putting when I feel like the show is attempting to sell her look sexually even though she is only in elementary school. Her design is a bit too curvy and flashy for a child of her age and the directing attempts to utilize her looks as a means of enticing the viewer. I don't have a problem with cute little girls, I just simply have difficulty appreciating her slight sexual nature. My second critique is a bit wider as it can encompasses a few of the most recent episodes. I really enjoyed the beginning up until the middle as I felt it had charm, personality, and a unique voice. Unfortunately, the show continues and some episodes end up as manufactured arcs that appear in most other shows of this genre (i.e. beach episode, Christmas episode, new year's episode, hot spring episode, etc.). This feels like Kobayashi san is going off of a template limiting itself to the 'tried and true' design of its predecessors. There is definitely lost potential in these episodes as they often end up being the standard having fun with the friend group and ending on a heart-warming note with not much substance in between. The best jokes and funny moments are only in the beginning with the show losing some of the comical momentum and relying more on dialogue and static situations between friends. This isn't necessarily a bad thing considering the Comiket episode was fairly enjoyable. But the other episodes just can't help but fall short of the more original events of the earlier ones. Despite this, Kobayashi san still carries a wonderful and charming feeling of energy and pleasure that makes each episode leaving you warm and fuzzy inside. Overall, I definitely think Kobayashi san is in the top 3 new anime this season and is worth a visit to those who have yet to try it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 1, 2016
Kimi no Na wa.
(Anime)
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The story of two individuals overcoming the obstacles that lay between them. This film is actually a very simple concept and doesn't take long to explain. But that's what makes this film good is the simplicity done well and uniquely executed. Kimi no Na wa features the two main characters Taki and Mitsuha who learn of each others existence when one day they mysteriously have switch bodies. Taki and Mitsuha have never met before and they live to two very different places, and such it is that they live different lives with their own problems. Being forced to live someone else's life for a full
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day every other day, the two of them communicate through notes and diaries and come to learn more about each other by literally living in each other's shoes. However, though they may be connect through tied thread of fate many obstacles lie between them and each of them must fight their own battles to overcome the one thing they search for.
Shinkai Makoto is a name I came across recently when I watched the short show "Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko: Everything Flows" in which Shinkai was the director. The interesting vision and storytelling behind that show very much intrigued me as it was fairly unique and surprisingly effective in telling a story entirely through the eyes of a cat. It later came as a surprise to me that the new dominating hit in Japanese theaters this summer that outdid even Shin Godzilla was also directed by Shinkai. It seems that Kimi no Na wa was not only Shinkai's magnum opus but also skyrocketed his popularity and now almost all of his works are available on Netflix which I highly recommend you check out: Garden of Words (Koto no ha no Niwa), Children who Chase Lost Voices (Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo), and 5 Centimeters Per Second (Byousoku 5 centimeter). While his other works and fairly well known, have emotional depth and character, and have a marveling visual direction and animation, these works do tend to suffer here and there with overwhelming emotional heaviness and main plots being distracted by subplots. However, with Kimi no Na wa, Shinkai managed to hit the home run. Now, I watched this film in Japanese theaters and my Japanese is still not where I'd want it to be but I was able to make out the story and the characters with enough confidence to write this review and I have seen the movie twice. Though, if there is a mistake story wise anywhere in this review it is likely due to a mistranslation in my head or a slip of my memory. Let's begin Art/Animation: This movie's strongest point lies in the animation. This is perhaps the most fluid, colorful, masterful drawn work of art to make the big screen in the anime business, all brought to life through the excellent cinematography, background art, setting, and sound direction that makes this film boil over with excitement and energy. Animation is used superbly with the lighting to set and bring out the tone of a scene. Every character moves so fluidly that they feel so real and full of life. This gives the movie the ability to add in the subtle motions and actions that build a character and Shinkai Makoto knows how to apply these tools. The result is a beautiful world of color and scenery everywhere you look, whether it be the skyscrapers of Tokyo, or the mountains of Takayama. Story: The story itself is indeed interesting and rather unique while not being completely new or complex. But what makes the story good is both the way it is told and the characters within it. The most ideal form of storytelling in my opinion is complex characters caught up in a big conflict that effects their smaller, internal conflicts and is told through a series of images, subtle actions or movements, and/or natural dialogue without the use of exposition. Kimi no Na wa has all of these, and save for two scenes of exposition about the abstract concepts of "Tasogare (誰そ彼) and Musubi (結び) which pertain to the philosophical forces behind the movie's main concept, there is also no exposition and everything we know about the characters is either shown to us through their daily lives or we learn alongside the other characters. The story just feels natural and everything is placed in the right spot. And watching through the second time after knowing the ending you get to notice all the small and subtle hints that Shinkai was leaving along the way. Sound: The music is mostly done by a band called Radwimps which I haven't heard of before this movie but they sounded awfully similar to Galileo Galilei. While not all of these songs are unique and interesting enough that I would listen to them outside of the movie much less pay money for them, they did fit the tone of the movie and were well placed with each stage of the plot. Character: These characters are just an absolute joy to watch. You can't help but smile when they smile and laugh when they laugh. And though there were some anime character interaction troupes, I found each character to be believable and alive. And better yet, through the relationships the characters build with each other I feel that they all become better people than they were beforehand. Taki and Mitsuha especially, as when they start switching bodies they begin to experience each other's problems, take different approaches to solving them, and overall improve each other's lives. The romance between these two is so real and believable due to how close their experience has brought them. And most importantly, this movie was a blast! After seeing the trailer, I expected a film that would try really hard to be emotionally moving and meaningful and end up being a overbearing mess that would beat symbolism and philosophy over my head. But instead we are allowed to feel the emotions naturally as these characters take it upon themselves to solve their own problems instead of making foolish decisions to cause them, and in the midst of it all they are having fun and feel lifelike because of it. Instead of hanging around emotional sob stories and concepts, the story has an energy behind it that keeps it moving forward and gives the audience a genuine feeling of enjoyment. Overall rating for Kimi no Na wa would be an overwhelming 8.5 for a stellar cast of characters with amazing voice actors and a very talented director making the most enjoyable and feel good movies of the year, maybe even of the decade.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 17, 2016 Mixed Feelings
Being able to redo a life full of mistakes would be a dream for anybody. A lot of people have regrets about their early life down the line and spend many nights wishing they could take something back or undo some mistake; however, they must come to terms with such things, as in life there is no such thing as a redo. But what if there was?
ReLife is the story of an unemployed man who is offered a chance to return to being a high school student for an experiment on fixing people's lives by allowing them another chance at things. They pay his ... living expenses for a year while in school and even promise a job offer when it is all done. Kaizaki Arata, the main character, drunkenly accepts the offer and takes a pill that reverts his appearance to that of a teenager and he starts as a third year (In Japan high school only lasts three years instead of four). Everything is up to him at this point. Beginning: So this show starts out fairly well with interesting ideas and some comical and entertaining points that show the main troubles of a grown 27 year-old man returning to his teenage years. I found myself chuckling at some points and was genuinely interested to see where his struggles would lead him. Although, some of my interest was lost after he quickly made friends with those sitting around him. His struggles became a bit less relatable at that point, because he quickly and smoothly adapts to his surroundings and starts fitting in rather perfectly. This bothered me a bit, considering he is joining this class in their third year. By this year, friend groups are already established and everybody has people they talk to and hang out with. ReLife shows very little of this and instead Kaizaki starts a new friend group almost immediately even after being openly embarrassed in front of the class and getting terrible grades in his tests. The connections he made with the other characters were fairly forced in my mind as it seemed that the author wanted to quickly get into other people's problems instead of taking his/her time to write out a more tangible relationship with these characters and let the character connections occur naturally. As a result, Kaizaki's first day was terrible for him and full of struggles, but the second day on everything goes great for him and he makes a tight knit group of friends and all my sympathy and reliability with this character go out the window. But I still held some interest so I kept watching. Main contents: So from this point on, a major problem arises with this show that causes it to go from good to alright to average to mediocre. Kaizaki has one big problem that he struggles with; a trauma that caused him to fall into his pathetic unemployed self that lead to the main events of ReLife. The mental trauma that he suffers from this specific event shows through here and there, but other than that Kaizaki seems to have almost zero problems or struggles he has to face (or at least struggles he himself has to face). The majority of this show consists of the problems of other people while Kaizaki just kind of watches and then thinks, "I should do something to fix this" and then everything ends with tears and hugs and everyone's friends with each other. All of the personal struggles build other characters and leave Kaizaki in the dust as he becomes an outlying variable in the lives of other people who get more screen time than he does. The center of the story ends up being everyone else while Kaizaki just observes. The story kind of reconciles with this by allowing Kaizaki to observe the problems of others and he bounces his own experience off of theirs and uses that to solve these problems. But, unfortunately the only part of his backstory that is actually important is that one event that caused him trauma and everything else is irrelevant. *I mean, its not like he has 27 years of experience he could reflect upon and use to apply to the problems he faces now and give meaning to the idea of ReLife*; that was sarcasm. Kaizaki seems flat as a character because he doesn't come through as a 27 year-old man with plenty of experience to share with these younger characters who are struggling through their youth. The event that defines his trauma is supposed to give the impression that the real world is cruel and sometimes you have to sit down and take it instead of standing up for yourself. It was supposed to show that not all problems can be solved. As fitting as that is for a show such as this, it doesn't come through with the amount of impact or authority that it should without properly displaying Kaizaki's full 27 years of experience. We don't need to know every day of his life to understand his story and his character or the message that is trying to be conveyed through his experience, but multiple events that show that he did have a childhood and he did go to school and he did experience the things that the high school characters now are going through. There simply isn't enough for me to feel something for Kaizaki or find the events in this show relatable. Conclusion: The anime ended with everything going well and everybody's problems are practically fixed and a thing of the past (save for Kaizaki and one other character). The ending didn't surprise me, was predictable, and was almost frictionless as there was almost zero conflict, save for a plot twist at the very end that sparked enough interest in me to watch a second season, but this didn't warrant forgiveness for the lack of conflict. All the conflicts until that point were interesting and had good ideas and even made me interested and maybe I felt something for these characters (except Kaizaki). But each conflict ended in an episode or two and had a very anti-climactic and boring ending and felt repetitive and basically almost all of it revolved around one side character who got more development than the main character or the main heroine. In conclusion, it seems to me that this show doesn't know where to focus its efforts and rushed the beginning with minimal back story and very few ideas on what to do with these characters. The show had promise and despite the lazy ending there was a plot twist at the very end which was interesting enough to make me watch a second season. However, I don't see a second season for this show coming anytime soon. I give ReLife a 5/10 for having interesting ideas but going about them in the wrong way and forcing itself into the main conflict without background or natural development. If you want to check out this anime and decide for yourself if it's what you like than I won't deter you, because I think it is worth a watch at least once, but it isn't nearly worth a rewatch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 2, 2016
Death Parade
(Anime)
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Recommended
How do we judge a soul? It is rather difficult to create a show entirely based around this question and not be mundane or overly dramatic. Harder still to bring in new characters at the beginning of an episode and have them leave by the end and still keep the audience invested in them. I believe that Death Parade is a fine example of what other anime should strive towards: an awesomely edited opening with music and animations that make you want to dance (completely contrasting the concept of the story which is a step away from the 'mundane' possibility), an interesting character lineup that
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work together and grow together in an interesting and original way, an overused concept presented in a unique way almost like a breath of fresh air in anime, and most importantly one of the best first episodes I think I've ever seen in an anime (in recent memory).
I'll start off with the first episode. The whole thing is one 20 minute scene with only three characters (minus the characters that appear at the end). In this scene, we are given a clear look at what the story is about through the eyes of normal people that mysteriously arrived at 'Quindecim', an empty bar stationed by a lone bartender named Decim. I don't lie when I say that I was absolutely enthralled by the following turn of events that transpired. I have a nasty tendency to judge a show harshly by the first few episodes and if they aren't up to my expectation right off the bat I usually drop it. Therefore, if you're like me then Death Parade is just the show for us. I'm hooked right off the first episode and ready to click the 'next episode' button. Next on the list is the characters. I found these characters to be interesting to say the least, but not so much as characters from say 'Steins;Gate' or 'Berserk' that really appeal to you right off the bat. Although, I do appreciate that these characters don't really show many signs of recycled character archetypes that we find so often in anime, and each has a little something that makes them tick to a different rhythm. Also, one could say that the fact that they don't appeal too much right from the get go is a good thing because that includes a certain subtlety that holds the character together in the long run. Except that is my main problem with this show; it's far too short for such a cast brimming with potential. The show focuses mainly on Decim and Chiyuki, and other characters will step in every once in a while to remind us that they are there. A set of three other characters will get an episode or two to themselves but in the end I didn't feel like that was enough. I truly wanted to see more of the development that took place because it felt too sudden sometimes. It was like being rushed to wrap everything up quickly to match the budget. A fine example of Japan not putting the money where I think they need to put it. I know I shouldn't say anything because I'm not a professional marketer, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Overall, I was able to come to terms with the ending because Decim and Chiyuki have a well enough deserved ending with enough development to back it. I'll give the characters a 8/10 because I blame everything else on budgeting. It's weird getting to story at this point, but what can you do? I like this show because it is revolved around the characters rather than the plot; or rather, the plot is almost used as a tool to force the characters to grow (but in a good way). The way I see it, the story would be a measly pitch in and of itself. It can be interesting, but it is nothing without the characters. This may very well apply to all anime, but just think of it this way; If you were a producer and somebody came to you and pitched a barebones concept for a story would you be intrigued by that story? Well this story is one that I would probably think could be good and bad at the same time. The anime industry has taken very interesting concepts and absolutely puked on them before (*cough cough* Knights of Sidonia *cough*), so I would always consider such a possibility. However, the plot makes the characters shine in the little screen time they can be allotted. For this, I would give the story a 6/10 due to the pure nature of it, however, this 'sad people who died sad deaths' cliche is used exactly how they needed to use it in order to make it original, so I'll bump that up to a 7/10. So next I want to talk about tone and atmosphere, because this is something I desperately need when watching anime. If you would read the general idea behind Death Parade, one would usually assume that the tone would be sad, over-dramatic, and very familiar in a boring way. This is usually a type of anime I wouldn't touch with a twelve-and-a-half foot pole. Then I heard too much about it and decided to give it a shot and to my utmost surprise, the show will take a very unique tone that remains very consistent yet includes the whole spectrum of human emotions. I don't think a tone like this would work with many other anime and I believe it is due to the concept of death. I believe that when faced with death humans will feel more than one emotion bundled up into a chaotic plethora of fear, sadness, anger, and perhaps even happiness. The show really capitalizes on this with the range of characters that come into Quindecim and how each story is different and has its own atmosphere and emotion to it. This is why I believe anime such as 'Plastic Memories' is a failure because they try to make the audience cry in every episode with a story that uses every trope in the book and hardly changes from the previous one. I wish tone was an area of critic on this site but that can't be helped. I'll give it an 8/10 anyway. I don't have much to say about the art/animation so I gave it a 7/10 almost solely because of the opening. And I think you understand the same goes for the sound as well with a 7/10. And if you haven't seen the opening, I'm not going to talk about it. Go watch it yourself and see how good it is. Overall, the score comes out to a 7/10 and I would definitely recommend this anime. If nothing else, I think this anime is a good reference point for a simple idea that feels very unique with a very well accomplished take on the horribly overused concept of death.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 30, 2016
Kuroshitsuji
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(15/24 eps)
Well, if one would look at my anime list they would probably say, "Wait! This guy only watched 15 of the 24 episodes and he thinks he can write a review!?" and I'd say back, "Normally not," but this is an exception because I find that in any story the first few episodes are absolutely crucial. If anyone tells me a show is good but you have to bear through the first few episodes to get to the good stuff then I'd tell them that they lied because that is not a good show. A good show, in my opinion, is a show that will
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keep me from the hook to the end. Therefore, if the beginning is unbearable, or the story loses me part way through (and I'm not talking about a story having a slump because that is natural for most long series, but rather make me completely lose interest and take me way outside of the experience) the show has failed regardless of what comes after (again in my opinion). So I'm writing this review of my experience of the first 15 episodes of Black Butler (黒執事) and why I dropped it. I'm not going to go through all the rating categories (story, art, sound, etc.) so I'll just get to the heart of the matter.
***We might be getting into some SPOILER GREY AREA pretty soon so read at your own risk*** So this show actually got a good start (which is why I've managed to shove 15 episodes down my throat) and held together an interesting plot, interesting characters, it understood when to reveal information and when not to (going back on the 'show, don't tell' principle), it got right to the chase with the plot and interesting developments started almost immediately, and most importantly a scene would set a distinguishable tone and stick to it. Now one of my favorite video games of the past few years is called Bloodborne and because of it I took a new found liking to a Victorian style setting and tone, so Black Butler has everything going for it right now (except maybe the Shoujo fantasy but I've learned to put up with that stuff). My only qualm with this so far is the Black Butler, Sebastian, is such an extremely useful butler and almost no flaws which becomes a very convenient plot devise to make things far too easy for the main character. Again, another thing that is very common in anime, so I learned to put up with it and focused my attention on the more interesting and conflicted characters. But around the 7th episode, when the demon hound story begins, Black Butler practically committed seppuku here. So the main characters showed up in a small England village that is run by a rich man. This village is haunted by an elusive demon hound that kills all those that disobey the rules of the rich man. The village lore declares the hound a long-time protector of the rich man's family and the main characters take it upon themselves to solve this mystery. This story kind of reminded me of the Wolfman (which I really liked) and everything was going great: good tension was building up, there was a tone being set, and I was truly intrigued to see how it ended. Since it is about a demon hound and since people were found horrendously torn to pieces by this hound, I was really looking forward to a somewhat scary/thrilling conclusion to this story. ***Now this is some SPOILER territory so be warned***. So the demon hound has finally been found and it turns out it is actually a demon hound. So here comes the thrilling conclusion to all this building up tension. Except thrilling would be the last thing I'd call it. Sebastian (the Black Butler) showed up immediately after finding the demon hound and he ends up kicking the thing so hard into the ground that they discover a new hot spring. After the fight, Sebastian beat the demon hound into submission and ended up taming him. Thus they brought the demon hound back with them to be their new friend. And it turns out that this demon hound was just confused and didn't know what he was doing when he killed those people. I felt absolutely betrayed. That was like blowing up a balloon but before it pops somebody just poked a hole in it and let all the air just pathetically deflate. What happened to all that tension? What happened to the tone? All my emotions up until then were just thrown back into my face like they were saying, "Oh! Were you hoping for an actually good story with an exciting end? NO! You get a happy-go-friendly ending that the characters did nothing to earned!" I hate happy endings. Ok, that's kind of not true so I'll reword it; I hate happy endings that weren't earned. What I mean by that is a happy ending doesn't happen so easily in the real world so I despise when these characters get a happy ending without hardly doing anything. If you've seen the Naruto ending, I liked that happy ending because that was hard earned that could've turned south real easily. However, this was pathetic and anti-climatic. Sebastian is such a plot devise for simply solving problems to keeping the other characters from actually having to do anything except make jokes. So I almost stopped there, but they started foreshadowing that all those events had an underlying purpose to the main story that looked a little interesting and more promising. So I kept watching until episode 15 rolled around and they ended up having a curry making contest before the Queen. Doesn't sound that bad, does it? Well, it was. From the beginning of this story arc, it was established that this was a serious advancement of the story and not just an extra comedic episode. Well at first it was, but it quickly turned into the most goofy, absurd, and unbelievable series of events I could imagine. Now this wouldn't be bad if I wasn't meant to take this seriously just like Gintama. However, the climatic scene ended up being jumbled up foreshadowing and comedy which did not work together at all creating such an awkward experience. You see, the problem with this is TONE. I have no idea what I'm suppose to be feeling about this because it pulls me straight out of the story. Is this suppose to be serious? Is this suppose to be funny? Is this actually plot development? Is this filler? Is what is happening important or even make sense? This episode also used way too much symbolism that was thrown crudely in your face and they constantly reminded you, "THIS IS SYMBOLISM!" just like that which I hate. Also, three characters were introduced in this story arc and they were far too emotional for me to care about them. Any character that is emotional and sad when you first meet them isn't going to make me care about them or the story; it makes them look like pathetic wimps. And after the whole climatic scene, they explained that all the stuff that went down was because of some 'evil spice' that brings out the bad stuff in people's hearts, and the police heard that and just accepted it like that was normal not even questioning it. This is a world where they have to hide the fact that Sebastian is a demon because that would cause people to panic, AND when a 'demon hound' showed up in a small village the residents went absolutely superstitious and freaked out. So 'evil spice' is just the norm is this society I guess. And annoyingly, Sebastian and the main character ended up talking down to the new characters like they knew what was up. Well do they? I hate it when characters talk like they are coming from experience and authority when they really didn't learn anything themselves up until then. Well that's two strikes and I didn't feel like giving it a chance for a third because I already despise these characters and the story. No matter what comes after this, nothing is worth pushing through something this miserable. I'm not sure how other people would think about this but I found myself being extremely disappointed with this story. So, if what I explained to you is something you think you would like I won't dissuade you from it. I'm not going to give it a rating because again I haven't seen the full show, I'm just saying don't expect a good story-telling experience with Black Butler.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 25, 2016
Kenpuu Denki Berserk
(Anime)
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I actually watched the Berserk movies before I saw the original anime. To be honest, I don't like watching older anime due to such a downgrade in animation, but I found that the older ones are typically the better ones. Despite knowing that, I let a lot of good anime such as 'Ashita no Joe' and 'Maison Ikkoku' just fly right by me. Luckily, the Berserk movies had come out and watching them sparked unlimited fascination with the story. So much so that I read all 300+ chapters of the Berserk manga. With all this in mind, I couldn't leave this anime unwatched so I
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gave it a go. I didn't have very much time for anime between work and school but I managed to finish this one in just a couple days. I loved this anime and it did almost everything I wanted it to. I'm going to divide this review by story, art/animation, sound, and character.
Story: So first off, a story needs to have a good.... well... story. And the most essential thing to a successful story is a hook (something that grabs your attention from the beginning). So, having read the manga I noticed this beginning is the same as the first chapter minus some details that might've been to intense for TV. However, I have to say that the manga caught my attention much better. If I hadn't already been in love with Berserk, I might not have kept watching because the first few minutes are just some typically bad hooligans mistreating a very weak and feminine young girl. I think it took too long for the main character to enter the screen, but when he did I started to love it again. That's where the hook began and the rest of the episode has got you intrigued. It turns out that the first episode proceeds rest of the show and it makes you want to find out how the main character got there and what caused the emotions he feels at that point. Though, I also think that it somewhat takes away from the experience by giving a slight hint as to what's going to happen further on. I prefer the beginning of the movies more since I had no idea what I was getting into when watching that. As for the rest of the story, I think Berserk knew exactly how to present itself. In terms of pacing they did it just right to where it's not too slow yet not too fast. I get exactly the amount of content that I wanted with development that moves smoothly and makes sense. Miura Kentarou really knew when to give information and when to withhold it, and that's something I think other anime really lack. And if you are someone who doesn't like to read manga and just wants the anime, this is the best for you. Berserk leaves out everything that isn't directly related to the story at hand. The movies have a tendency to have cameos and foreshadowing that is only resolved in the manga. Although, I believe the intention for the movies was to go further with the story so I can forgive that. The greatest aspect that I love about Berserk is the world and how it is presented. Usually when an anime or any story is set in a different world, they find some need to have a prior explanation about how the world works just like Fairy Tail and Hunter X Hunter (I still love those two). However, Berserk just puts you in it and lets you experience it rather than telling you about it. I don't think there was ever a point when Berserk stopped to explain something in the world, but I still had no problem understanding what was laid out before me. Ok, so I can actually think of one thing, but that is such a small percent of screen time that it hardly matters. The tone is my second favorite thing this story does right (first is characters but that comes later). I always know what tone the show is setting and my emotions respond accordingly as they should. Berserk has a very heavy and overshadowing tone that weighs down on the characters but this isn't overused or forced. Tokyo Ghoul: Root of A is a prime example in my opinion of overusing a tone to the point where the viewer is numbed to it and it loses its effect. Berserk gives you fresh air once and a while with a lighter tone, but gets down and dirty when it needs to and doesn't hold your hand or tell you what to feel. This show lets the audience feel for themselves because it knows that the viewers aren't stupid. The story is great and knows how to keep itself interesting, but in all honesty it isn't that complex. That isn't a bad thing, but it didn't particularly stand out in terms of a creative story. Still, it isn't boring and doesn't exaggerate itself when unnecessary. So I give the story a 7 out of 10. Art/Animation: There isn't much I can say about the art. The manga impressed me more than the anime, but the anime follows closely to it so I can say that it is still impressive. Though it is an older anime, and the animation capabilities at the time were limited so a lot of shots are just still frames. This makes certain scenes lose their effect and I get taken out of the experience. Again, I blame this on the time it was made because the movies are much better in this account. Although, I heard once that overwhelmingly amazing animation/visual effects or otherwise just manages to distract one from the story, so it's probably best that the art/animation just remains where it is. I give the Art/Animation a 7 out of 10 because it is good but doesn't stand out; it is just what it needs to be. Sound: I loved the soundtrack behind this show, even though most of the time there was no background music playing. I actually kind of liked that about it though. It was simple, but a change of pace. However, when the music did play, it was surprisingly good for an older anime. I'm listening to the soundtrack as I'm writing this because it takes you inside the world of Berserk and lets you feel it through sound. I'm not a huge fan of the opening simply because I don't visualize Berserk whenever I hear it. Otherwise, I liked it because it wasn't pretty or perfect orchestral genius but the vocals were rough but not unbearable, and the instruments were playing the notes but not very beautifully or perfectly. It's a weird taste in music that I have where I like music that isn't perfect, but sounds like it came from a band playing in a garage or somebody playing guitar by a campfire. That way it sounds more genuine. I didn't listen to the ending too much so I can't say a lot about it. The soundtrack really sets the mood and gives the tone an extra push in the right direction. For that, I give the Sound an 8 out of 10 incorporating the fact that this anime was made in 1997 and 2015 anime don't have music nearly as good. Character: Oh, man. This is my favorite, because I've never seen something so in depth and done so beautifully in anime before. This is the best part of Berserk because it is 90 percent of it. The world, the tone, the plot, all of it comes through the characters in such a glorious fashion that made me raise my expectation for anime. From episode 1 to episode 25, the characters are constantly developing and being faced with new challenges both physical and mental. Every character has something that drives them and shapes their character in a way that I can get emotional attached really easily. And the relationships between characters shift in such interesting ways that I can't help but be amazed. I never doubted that what the characters do and feel are what a real person would do and feel. My only real problem with the characters would be the portrayal of women, as they are mostly depicted as weak, love-struck, cry a lot, and will be shown naked at least once (if not multiple times). Although, this is a world very similar to the Medieval Times where women weren't considered to be equal to men or to be very apt warriors. And the supporting female character Casca shows moments of being a capable soldier and strong leader being a commander in the Band of the Hawk. Also considering how this show is and old show I decided to give it a pass (mainly because it's so dang good). I still found myself liking Casca and was able to look past her moments of overwhelming displays of feminine weakness. Character development is done right whenever you as the viewer find yourself immersed and emotionally invested with the struggles of the characters as I found myself throughout this show. Too many anime nowadays try to make the audience feel sad for the characters in the first or second episode by trying to get cheap tears out of them. To make me feel for a character, I need to see the character build up to something first. I don't just connect from the get go. Berserk understands this well and doesn't force emotions down your throat. It lets the tone and the characters do their jobs right. So I give the Character in Berserk a solid 9 out of 10 for being the best development I've seen in an anime. Overall: This is hands down my favorite anime, and I can say that without hesitation or a second thought. Berserk gripped me and still hasn't let me go. The manga chapters come out maybe twice a year but I anxiously await every single one always thirsting for another one. To conclude, if you haven't watched Berserk yet, I don't know what you are doing with your life. This anime receives an average of 8 out of 10, but I'm feeling a 9 out of 10 because it is the greatest anime I've seen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 21, 2016
Sidonia no Kishi
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
Ok, I don't write many reviews, but considering how bad this anime was I feel it can't be that hard.
This was probably spelled out in the plot synopsis, but Knights of Sidonia (or シドニアの騎士) is a science fiction, mecha action anime where humans have fled Earth a thousand years ago on a giant space ship called 'Sidonia' fleeing from the threat of unknown origin known as the 'Gauna'. Protagonist Nagate Tanikaze in search for food stumbles out of the vast inner workings of Sidonia and out into the open society where he is selected to be a Guardian Pilot defending Sidonia against the Gauna ... threat. I've never been a fan of CGI in anime since it definitely isn't Japan's strong suit (though I commend them for trying something new) and they'd be better off just sticking to what they already do best and focus on other aspects of storytelling. So I came into this anime with a hesitant mindset, but I soon got entranced really quickly when the first space battle happened. The 'gauna' are awesome in my opinion. They can take many different forms and can evolve to increase their efficiency at countering human technology. On top of that, they are horrifying. Not the most scary thing I've seen, but I wouldn't want to tango with any of those. Although, I think what captured me most about the beginning of this show was space; everything space. I love space, and anything that takes place in space is sure to capture my attention. Also, I was impressed how the concept of space wasn't just a setting, but was also a factor in the story and the battles. And the life on the titular space ship 'Sidonia' was well thought out as well with interesting differences in society affected by advanced technology such as human photosynthesis that allows a independence of food and water for a week. The main character didn't grow up in the society of Sidonia and as a result he can't photosynthesize. I liked this distinction in his character. And herein lies the first problem: that's the only thing I like about this character. So for the first episode, Knights of Sidonia is going in a pretty good direction in my opinion. And honestly, this had me tricked for the next few episodes. It took me awhile before I realized it steadily got worse. It started when I realized that this anime is almost the exact same plot as Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人). First off, a main character that doesn't know his origins joins the military when the enemy reappears after a hundred years without a sighting. The main protagonist quickly becomes the spearhead of the military when he is discovered to be a special asset that could almost single handedly win the war; a war in which humanity has been waging as long as they can remember and threatens the very existence of humankind. A war with an enemy that is bent on the complete eradication of humans without determinable rhyme or reason. Humans built a special base to defend and counteract against the enemy that is led by questionable leaders that could prove just as much a threat as the outside enemy. The baseline of this story is extremely similar to Attack on Titan with different setting, characters, and plot twists (very poor and predictable plot twists I might add). So I started comparing the two, and I began seeing very clear distinctions in what Knights of Sidonia was lacking. As I said before, I despise the protagonist. Not just because he is awkward, annoying, bland, and holds no true character flaws besides being socially inapt, but mainly because I have no idea why he is fighting the gauna so passionately. In Attack on Titan, Eren held a very powerful grudge against the Titans because of his past experiences with them.This is what allowed us to sympathize and connect with Eren as a character. Nagate has absolutely no past experiences with the gauna and suddenly because somebody just simply asked him to become the 'Knight of Sidonia' or some prophetic hero destined to save Sidonia he becomes determined to eliminate all of the gauna and dedicate his life to protecting the society and people that he 'loves'. When you read it, that would at least make a little sense, but keep in mind that he decided this after being in this society for only a few days! How can he claim to love something he hardly as any knowledge of? Worst of all, whenever he is not fighting gauna or speaking with Sidonia's commander, he seems to completely forget all that. The motivation that is meant to drive him as a character hardly affects him at all, and I end up forgetting what his role is in the story. And I'm going to go so far as to say that I forget what the story even is about anymore whenever their not fighting gauna. This show doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be an awesome scifi, or if it wants to be a mediocre harem. Honestly, the harem aspect takes 75 percent of the screen time, and almost all of it is completely useless. There was only one time when the harem part of the story affected the actual plot. I attribute this to a misunderstanding of (or just pure apathy to) the concept of character development. Knights of Sidonia seems to interpret that as 'sexual tension' and 'love drama'. To make it worse, sometimes this sexual tension/love drama is so poorly written and cheesy that I started to think I was watching a porno. Dialogue is bad, characters are one dimensional and unappealing, and its just overall disappointing to see this interesting society getting plague by these cardboard cutouts of overused character archetypes. The protagonist is terrible, the female characters are worse because they are head over heels for this guy for absolutely no other reason than a 'because I said so' attitude by the author, and this other male character who seemed to be important had promise since he was the protagonist's opposite and was willing to make morally ambiguous decisions to get his way; however, when he started to see some of the effects of his decisions, he quickly became a wimp, quit being a pilot, and was kicked out of the story never to be relevant again. Honestly, the best character in this show is the Benisusume, whose identity is a spoiler so I won't reveal anymore than that except that this character has only about four lines that are almost exactly the same. And the worse part of this is the portrayal of women. I know that the anime industry usually targets adolescent boys who can't focus on anything that doesn't have breast the size of jupiter, but this is ridiculous. Also, this show can't possibly be intended for young boys, because it clearly attempts to make itself dark and gritty like Tokyo Ghoul or Attack on Titan but can never stick to that tone. So I don't know what audience the author is writing to and what he is trying to say with his story. It sounded like mindless babbling to me. I don't talk too much on the story in comparison to the characters, but that is because the story was interesting and held promise; though, it was quickly overshadowed by every other terrible thing that it completely lost its appeal. I watched this show to the end in hopes of rekindling that promise and maybe the story would once again have the majority of the screen time, and I was given at least a fraction of reward with a season finale in both seasons that were done fairly well and proved that if this author had simply stuck to what he does best instead of this harem garbage this could have been a good thing. Not to say that I don't think harems can be good. I have watched a lot of harems and enjoyed a few. I'm just saying this is a very bad one. Since sound is an area of critique on this site, I'll mention a little something about that. There isn't much that stands out about the soundtrack and nothing leaves an impression except for the opening credits. I imagine that these openings were meant to be exciting and with a hint of patriotic-like pride just as the Attack on Titan openings were. However, these fail terribly at replicating this. The animation for the opening is literally shots from the rest of the show dreadfully edited together with a very underwhelming song choice that lacks energy, emotion, and impact. Overall, I didn't enjoy Knights of Sidonia despite the very interesting concept behind it simply because it didn't allow me to enjoy it by shoving other things I don't care about in my face and trying to get me to accept them. This show really has an identity crisis, trying to wear the clothes of a harem comedy while also trying to be a gritty, realistic scifi. If a harem comedy anime wants me to take it seriously and realistically, then it either needs to not be a harem comedy or try harder; a lot harder. In conclusion, don't watch this show. It is horrible, and it is the definition of what is wrong with the anime industry that can't seem to let go of its horrendous cliches and characters archetypes. When will they start trusting us to be interested in a story that doesn't have kinky sexual comedy and breasts the size of jupiter?
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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