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Apr 3, 2013
TIGER & BUNNY. A personal favorite of mine.
Before I watched this amazing anime, I thought that this would be one of those really lame kids' show like Sesame Street or what not. After watching it I can confidently say that this is one of those really awesome kids' show. To be more honest, it feels like watching a TV version of Pixar's 'The Incredibles'.
This anime focuses on the genre of superheroes. Not animals, not mechas (if you were mislead by the artwork or title) but superheroes. Superheroes who have mutated over the last 45 years and are now saving the futuristic city of
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Sternbild from evil misdoings and crime. However social media and attention have been given to these superheroes and now the 8 most famous superheroes are 'owned' by companies who participate against each other in the TV show 'Hero TV Live', which ranks heroes by the number of criminals captured and the number of civilians saved. It is indeed a very interesting setting which had not been explored in many western superhero cartoons such as the X-Men or the Incredibles.
Our protagonist is an old sort-of guy called Kotetsu Kaburagi, or by his superhero name, Wild Tiger. He is one of the 8 most well known superheroes who participates in 'Hero TV'. Eventually he becomes unpopular by the masses and his company is forced to close down. Wild Tiger is 'bought' by a new company who is then forced to partner up with a guy called Barnaby, and together they bring together the first 'superhero duo', Tiger and Barnaby. However, due to the appearance of Barnaby's hero suit and his name, Tiger nicknames him 'Bunny', which is how the title of the series comes to be.
In every aspect, (and my points may be very subjective from now on), this anime ticks off what it tried to be.
Story:
The first few minutes of the first episode really captures what the anime is about. How social media and attention wraps itself around the opportunity that these "NEXTs" (The fancy word for mutants) bring with them. Later on though, the story dives into each of the 8 superhero's pasts. Not very interesting so far, but once these pasts are established and the superheroes solve a few crimes, things then get really intense. We dive into an actual tight plot which will won't go away until the very last episode. Story-wise, I think that the producers of this anime have done a fantastic job and have achieved what they have set out to do.
Sound etc:
The voice acting was done very neatly and smoothly, I didn't feel as if they weren't half-hearted into their acting. Voice acting was done pretty decently.
The OPs were pretty catchy to me too. No problems for me there. I didn't pay much attention to the EDs (my apologies)
And the background music is very distinct. It's not annoying but it will stick in your head in a good way. The music used will very much remind you of western style movies and tv shows regarding the superhero/action genre.
Artwork and Animation:
There are lot of bright and flashy colors in Tiger & Bunny, which I appreciate. It doesn't overdo the flashes either. Each of the 8 superheroes have a specific design and color for them so it wasn't hard for me to remember all 8.
The animation itself wasn't done too badly either. A lot of CGI was used to create most of the effects but that didn't hinder my experience.
Characters:
Tiger & Bunny presents a wide range of personalities. On one hand you've got Tiger, the old aged guy who cares only about saving civilians and bringing justice to criminals. On the other hand, you've got Bunny, who doesn't really care about saving civilians or bringing justice to criminals but rather accumulating points and popularity. As you can expect, partnering these two together will bring some very loose teamwork. And that's how they start off, but towards the end they demonstrate the importance of trust, friendship and teamwork. And of course there are the other 6 superheroes and other main characters whom I fell in love with thanks to their intriguing and well developed characteristics.
Overall Enjoyment:
I really, really, really, really enjoyed watching this series. It was nice to explore a new, refreshing genre other than Romantic Comedies, Normal High School Life or Action in a far distant future. Tiger & Bunny has hit the target of what the show wanted to be and I am more than happy to say that this anime has been a real enjoyment to me.
To everyone out there, this is an anime for everyone to enjoy. It isn't hard to understand the context or to fall in love with the characters. It's an anime worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 2, 2013
So Mawaru Penguindrum in a nutshell is an emotional story about a family of two brothers and their younger sister who dies of terminal cancer. However, she is brought back to life by the penguin hat that they bought earlier and the penguin hat demands that the two brother find this 'Penguindrum', in order to keep their sister alive.
And that was probably the best way I could sum it up. The story itself is a mix of dark emotions and very light hearted emotions. Once you watch episode 1, you will understand what I mean by a mix of dark and light hearted emotions.
Anyways
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moving on to the really weird way I assess anime:
Story & Setting (1/2):
The story is set in modern day Japan, so the amount of context that the viewers have to absorb is nearly none at all. The first episode really does well in setting up the characters and what is happening.
The story itself is quite linear and straightforward, taking the two brothers and the audience to meet new people who have some sort of connection to the mysterious 'Penguindrum'. However some aspects of the story may not appeal to some viewers such as invisible penguins suddenly appearing and such. I felt that the ending was a bit of a let down but I still thoroughly enjoyed the anime.
Art & Animation (2/2):
This aspect is probably the most distinctive and unique aspect of the anime. The way that destiny can be visualized as some sort of a train journey with different destinations and the ability to transfer fates and destinations is quite creative. You'll see a lot of connections between the setting/story and the explored idea of changing/transferring fate.
Art-wise, this anime is very colorful. The Survival Strategy Meeting sequences always makes me smile because it's just something weird which contrasts to the very dark feel of the anime.
Another detail I appreciate is the fact that only the main characters get detail to their appearances. Every other background person is drawn as a figure. So it pulls all the attention to the main characters, which I also find creative.
Animation-wise this anime is done very well. There isn't much I can complain or compliment about it because it really isn't an action anime with flying battleships or mechas.
Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM] (2/2):
The voice acting in this anime was done alright. I don't have any major issues with this area. There are a lot of monologues about fate and that may get a little repetitive though. But it's not too bad.
Both OPs to me were alright. I didn't hate them but I didn't love them either. And I don't pay much attention to the EDs.
Background music I think was alright too. Not much to comment about it. It didn't hinder my overall experience from watching the anime. However the one background music I will always remember from this anime is the Survival Strategy Meeting sequence music. Dear lord that sequence is catchy.
Characterization (2/2):
Some of the characters might seem weird to you but in the end it's all warm and fuzzy with really sad heartbreaking moments. There are also a lot of characters which may confuse you as to what they're trying to achieve but the anime wraps it all up nicely towards the end.
Generally I don't really have a problem with the characters in the anime. Not that I can remember.
Overall Enjoyment (1/2):
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, especially the contrasting themes and how they intertwine towards the end. There were a lot of heartbreaking moments and silly moments but I still feel like the ending really let me down. Though that could be a personal opinion though.
The take-home point of this anime is that there are a lot of emotions conveyed in it and that you might find this anime to be different to what you were expecting.
8/10, though in my heart it will sit as a 9 or a 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 2, 2013
So Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, or in English known as, 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere', is an anime set in the 'far distant future'. To me it took me a while to actually get what was going on, and that will probably be the biggest let down of this anime. However, once you get to episode 8 I think the story becomes clear of where it wants to go. After finishing this anime I actually wanted to watch its second season despite my initial feelings at the beginning.
In one sentence, the anime is about a massive pervert named Aoi Tori whom with his
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classmates, work together to save a girl named Horizon who is being held captive and sentenced to die so that history will be 'reenacted'.
So onto assessing this anime...
Story & Setting (0/2):
Story-wise, it becomes clear, very focused and enjoyable about halfway through. However with the setting was a real let-down because half of the time I couldn't tell who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Then I realized that this anime was presented in a style similar to 'Game of Thrones', where every side has its enemies and they all have similar intentions of trying to avenge or rescue.
This anime also heavily focuses on the political, economical and historical contexts of the story. And this wasn't set up very well. So I would have to deduct 2 marks from this aspect because it really bothered me for a while.
Art & Animation (2/2):
Okay so one of the memorable points about 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere', is that most of the women have really, really big boobs. BOOBS. So if you don't like the excessive amount of fanservice then that's alright, there's still much more depth to this anime than a normal romantic comedy showing off girls with big boobs.
Other points about artwork which are memorable is the virtual interface thingy which I can't describe. But it very much reminds me of the virtual interface in the game of Sword Art Online. It is very similar.
Animation was really well done here. Especially towards the end of the anime, where there were lots of fight scenes and special flashy skills. I appreciated that a lot.
Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM] (2/2):
Voice acting was done well. I watched the subbed version and I didn't find many of the character's voices annoying. When I searched up the voice actors, I was surprised that the same Japanese voice actor for Aoi Tori was the same guy who voiced Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass. The two characters sound very different but that only widened my appreciation to the skill this voice actor has.
There is only one OP for this anime, and I liked it. I don't pay much to the EDs though. I think there are two.
The background music to me was enjoyable. Sometimes it sticks in my head after I've seen an episode. To some people the background music will be very distinctive. Towards the end of the anime the music compliments really well with the sort of 'epic' feeling that is being created.
Characters (2/2):
In this anime there are a wide range of characters presented, all with different personalities and skills. You'll definitely remember all of them thanks to their unique personalities and abilities. Together they form a really good team. You may think that some of the characters were not important to the story but in its second season they will be useful.
The chemistry between many of the characters are quite enjoyable to watch. I certainly got a lot of 'ngaaaaaaaawww' moments in the last few episodes. There are also a lot of hilarious moments too.
Overall Enjoyment (2/2):
I can definitely say that I enjoyed this anime after watching it. Although the story was set up pretty badly, it was still worth it to watch all the way to the end. I would say that most people would really like the end. The anime also sets itself perfectly for its second season, which I have also seen.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Yeah I would recommend this anime to those who are patient, like women with big boobs and who like immersing themselves in a far distant realm where they can lose themselves in a story. You don't have to have all three of the above qualities to enjoy the anime.
The take-home point of this anime is that it lacks established setting but develops an extremely well fitting ending. 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 2, 2013
In my best words, Eureka Seven belongs to those "In the distant future" sci-fi animes. Now yes, it was made waaaaay back in 2005-2006, but that doesn't affect the quality and emotion which comes out of it.
So in the far distant future, a 14 year old boy named Renton Thurston runs away from his boring town to join a rebel force called the Gekkostate. he only joins the Gekkostate because he followed a beautiful turquoise haired girl called Eureka there, and many of his 'idols', belong in this group. It's a story which plays on a typical teenage boy's problems of growing up, and
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yes, I can relate to it pretty well. Kind of. Because the boy deals with his problems while trying to save the world. How I will assess anime is by giving it a 10 out of 10 and then deducting one mark for every major aspect which hindered my overall enjoyment.
Story & Setting (1/2):
-The general problem with many "In the distant future" animes is that there is a lot of context to establish for the audience. Social, political, economical and historical context all have to be quickly built up in a short amount of time so that we, the viewers can quickly move onto enjoying the anime. Now with Eureka Seven, half of the work is cut out for them because we follow the journey of our protagonist, Renton Thurston, and his journey in discovering the wider world, and all its dark secrets and such. But the producers still have to find a way of incorporating the mechas, lifting (how the mechas fly and etc) and the Coralians (alien species which co-exist with the humans in the story). For me it was very confusing so I had to search it up on google and wikipedia. And so for other viewers, this might have also been just as confusing. So I'll deduct one mark from this aspect. However after reading about the story I understood much more and my enjoyment was no longer hindered.
Art & Animation (2/2):
Yes, being a 2005-2006 anime means that the artwork isn't really 'top-notch' quality compared to animes being made 7-8 years later. But for its time, Eureka Seven does incorporate some pretty neat animation and artwork. I doubt many viewers would be 'annoyed' with the artwork and animation.
Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM etc] (2/2):
-In this category I'm going to be half-sure because I watched the Dubbed version and the Dubbed version was all I could find. Sometimes, yes, I did find the voice acting a little bit annoying, but sometimes really hilarious (I couldn't really hold my laughter in when Renton confessed that he 'loved' lifting and that lifting was his life. I really couldn't hold it anymore) But I think viewers would appreciate this anime more in subbed.
-My assessment of the OP and EDs will be subjective here, but I loved the first two OPs for the anime. The next two were alright. I didn't really pay much attention to the EDs, because I watch the next episode when that happens. But if you're one of those people who listen to the EDs just to relax or something then that's okay.
-The BGM or Soundtrack in this anime, is probably one of the unique things about this anime. It provides a range of music tracks from orchestral to electronic. There will be some BGM which will stick in your head and some which compliments the emotion or feel at that point in the anime. The music here is really distinctive.
Characters (2/2):
-The use of characterization in Eureka Seven is the most defining part of the anime. You'll remember it as the crybaby boy who turns into a man, the lively crew of the Gekkostate with every member having a distinct personality you'll probably remember all their names and their personalities. I just had to admire the chemistry between all the characters in Eureka Seven. Throughout the anime many of these characters change as well, and towards the end of the anime you'll really appreciate all the work that's been done to make this happen.
Overall Enjoyment (2/2):
-Overall I enjoyed this anime thoroughly, from beginning to end. The story is well balanced but very character driven. If you really don't like mechas though it's okay. Most of the focus of the anime is on the mystery of the Coralians, and I enjoyed discovering the dark secrets of the Coralians although I was confused as to the number of forms they take. But still. I really enjoyed the anime. Not more I can say. The only overall aspect which let this anime down is the setting and how it was set.
9/10, although in my heart I really should have given it a 10.
If you loved Eureka Seven then there is a sequel to it, called Eureka Seven AO.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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