A gimmick that begins to wear thin.
I honestly liked Sekko Boys when I first started watching it. The setup was hilarious, and as much as I began to lose hope in the faith of humanity reading the plot synopsis before I started watching, it turned out being a fairly funny anime. I related to the main girl's woes having been an art student for a few years, and I thought that the characters actually using references to the philosophers and legends they were based on (and gearing the characters around their personality) was charming and smart. However, throughout the duration of the show everything began
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Jun 29, 2014
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
(Anime)
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I already know before I opened this tab, before I opened google chrome, and before deciding that I would review Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann that this would be a controversial review simply because I do not think it is an "outstanding" anime. For a lack of a better comparison, I feel like the hype I received to before watching this anime was similar to Citizen Kane or Lord of the Rings- this was an anime that was considered untouchable, bulletproof in a way. As a person who hates things being hyped up to critical status for me, it is entirely possible that the reason I
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didn't enjoy TTGL was simply because people wouldn't stop talking about it to me. I watched the first half of it and was quick to dismiss it because I felt it dragged on and was in a bit of a sour mood about the whole thing, but shortly afterwards I watched the whole thing in one sitting and enjoyed it more than I expected, but still found some problems with it. So lo and behold, I don't think Gurren Lagann is "untouchable" or "outstanding", but it's pretty damn good.
It's really hard to go into great depth with the details in this anime without indulging in spoilers, so I will steer far clear from trying to deconstruct this anime and rather tell you how I feel about it and what you should expect going into it. Another point to pull is to mention that I'll be referring to "first half" and "second half" a lot in this review, because a lot of my opinion revolves around the differences between the two. STORY: 6 A lot of interesting things go on in Gurren Lagann's story, lots of twists, interesting decisions, specific moments- but nothing really culminates into a whole well. While the ending is extremely impactful, it is more a testament to the character's improvements and their dynamics rather than the story surrounding them. It almost feels like you have real life human beings thrown into a world of cardboard cutouts, a cast of amazing well rounded people bouncing around façades of actual plot development just so they can improve themselves. You'll meet a group of characters with amazing expression and complicated backstories, but the way they meet is usually a complete coincidence without any real effort in tying the strings together except a lazily slapped "Oh uh, I guess they just stumble upon them in the desert". The plot also feels like a straight line. There are a few bends, but no real complexity. This is somewhat relieved in the second half of the anime, where all of the character's interactions and what they've done up to that point culminate in what is for lack of better words, completely epic- but the first half being literally "stumble upon some characters, then shoot stuff" is extremely bland, boring, and drags on for way too long. There's a lot of depth in Gurren Lagann, but not in the plot of the show. It all belongs to the characters and who they are. ART: 8 Studio Gainax never seems to disappoint in the art department. And while to date, I think this is their least appealing anime in terms of art (ok, I'm not counting the budget-cut episodes of evangelion) it still completely blows my mind out of the ground and makes my eyes bleed. There is always something flashing, something spinning or blinking, the lines are very sharp and defined and there is explosions all over the screen for most of an episode's runtime. Despite all this, the downsides revolve around a lot of the anime falling into "good animation, generic setting"- while the world is set in a post apocalypse of sorts, the what I like to call "Dragonball Z Rock Desert" setting is rather boring most of the time and doesn't compliment the amazing art style well. This is amended in the second half however, and only then I can say that this anime is a true beauty to look at. Oh, I almost completely forgot about the title cards. I want each one in a massive print hanging around my house. They're that good. SOUND: 7 Lots of people say that this is the best soundtrack "of any anime, ever", But they only ever seem to bring up "Libera Me From Hell" and "Sora Iro Days"- which brings up the point that in my opinion, the soundtrack is completely hit or miss. When the music is good, it's absolutely amazing. Those two tracks mentioned above are some of the most inspiring, pumping up music I've heard in an anime- enough for me to say that they almost carry the entire 7 points on their backs alone. That's not to say the rest of the soundtrack is awful by any means, but it's completely forgettable and not really unique to any sort of style or taste. I could listen to a song (except the two mentioned above) from the OST in a cafe and not recognize it as a Gurren Lagann song, and I could listen to most of the songs and completely forget about them 5 minutes later. They're just really bland and while each one fits the mood for individual aspects of the show, I would never really go out of my way to listen to one except the two mentioned above. Now the memorable songs from Gurren Lagann are so good that I would actually give this category a higher mark than 7- but the voiceacting still stands. And no matter what version I watched, I thought it was simply just passable. For every great voice, there is a weak one- Kamina's dominating strong voice is countered by the annoying shrill tones of Simon. Yoko's voice bounces all over the place and frequently goes from annoying to soothing, and the minor characters are hit and miss as well. CHARACTER: 10 I've already touched upon the characters in the "story" section of this review, but dear god are they amazing. Each character has complex motives, an interesting backstory, and a deep interaction with each other character. Every character acts like you'd expect them to, but it comes off as a human expectation rather than just a bland soup of stock (soup? stock? get it?) characters. Each character has expectations, and their moods fluctuate in ways that few animes dare to tread- lasting several episodes based on recent events revolving around them and how they feel about them. Despite all this complexity, you don't need a manual or guide to each character as it is laid out simply and perfectly for you in a way that I cannot describe short of excellent. But the crowning achievement above all of this is the character progression. I literally cannot step into this category without spoilers, but the way the second half gathers up all the characters, what they have gone through and what they are now and bundles them up in a small space together to interact is beautiful and something I have never seen before. ENJOYMENT: 7 While there were times where I was awestruck in how much fun I was having with TTGL (mainly in the second half), there was almost an equal amount of time where I spent kind of twiddling my thumbs waiting for the anime to hurry up. Mainly the first half seems to almost get TOO formulaic near the transition to the second half, to the point where it's completely predictable and doesn't leave any surprises or joy to be had. There was also a few episodes that seemed out of place (I'm looking at you, hotsprings and random animation drop episodes) but other than that I mostly had fun with Gurren Lagann. OVERALL: 7 To sum up all I have ever thought of Gurren Lagann after watching the whole thing, the first half is a solid 6/10 and the second half is a complete masterpiece. That being said, the first half is essential in introducing us to the fleshed out cast of amazing characters and in a way that makes me resent the boring, predictable nature of it even more. If there were a way to inject information straight into your brain without having to watch the first half, I would definitely recommend a skip to the second half. But as it stands, the second half is not nearly as impactful unless you experience each character for long enough and truly get to know how they work and how they think. I would definitely recommend TTGL. But I wouldn't hype it up for people like others did for me. The times I have recommended it I have only mentioned "I think you'll like it", not this impenetrable halo of ultimate fanboyism (I apologize for using that word) surrounding it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 28, 2014
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
(Anime)
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TL;DR (because this review is loooooong): Panty and Stocking is a show that is very very niche, childish, and immature, but it somehow ends up still being a enjoyable comedy with hit and miss moments. Also some fightscenes are really good. I don't know if I can recommend it though.
I haven't rewatched this show in a while, but it's a very memorable experience- Although my impact on the humour might change. I've rewatched an episode or two before writing this review, and from what I've seen, it still stands, although it has gotten a little worse. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a lot of things- ... it's a fun deconstruction of anime full of sexual innuendos, great animation, blood-pumping music, funny characters, and quick wittedness. All that, and it's impossible to recommend to any of your friends because of the name and the branding! One of the DVDs came with a "sanitary tissue box" in japan, the characters have panties (and stockings) that turn into weapons, one of the episodes is a Saving Private Ryan parody except the soldiers are sperm, and overall there is absolutely no way you can manage to fit this insane rollercoaster ride of what I like to call "South Park: The Anime" into a conversation unless somebody else at the table has seen it as well. It also takes place in "Japamerica". I'm not quite sure how this anime came to be exactly, I'm really confused on how somebody could decide on making a show about reject, rebel angels (followed by a completely obvious ripoff of GIR from hot top- I mean, invader zim) exorcising massive demons led by two incestuous sisters who love rules by using their underwear and magic to create machine guns, swords, and pistols, over an artstyle that seems to be parodying The Powerpuff Girls over anything else. It's almost hard to believe what they got past the censors, and I am betting that none of the people who first conceptualized this crazy show was sober. I have always considered this show an extreme guilty pleasure, only because of the subject matter and the immaturity of 99% of the humour. The show really does not give a crap about what it does, and that is almost to the show's detriment- There is no way I would watch this show with another person, despite how enjoyable it is. It's something you laugh at constantly, but feel ashamed for laughing at it afterwards. For example, the "transformation" scenes are an obvious jab at fanservice and classic transformation scenes of the time, but cranked up to 11- the characters are literally on stripper poles performing strip teases as they spout long rambling dialogue about the battle of good and evil in the form of a long poem. But on the other hand, the first time I saw this (after my initial confusion of the random change in art style and completely insane fanservice) I couldn't stop laughing as I totally realized what they were doing and applauded them for somehow getting away with it. That's not to say that the show doesn't have completely badass moments as well- The fightscene in the second half of episode 6 goes on for the entire rest of the episode, and includes riding cars on the sides of buildings, shooting machine guns, sniper rifles, shotugns, and a matrix parody. But does it hold up? Are the jokes actually funny and not just childish, and are the characters likable and not putrid? STORY: 4 Honestly, there is next to no story. And actually- when story does appear, it's to the show's detriment. I didn't quite understand why the show took a sudden serious approach near the ending, and it definitely bogged down a up to then good show. There is also an episode earlier on about a possible love interest for stocking- and while it might be satire, I personally think it is the weakest episode in the series. However, the introduction to the characters is good, and the initial story is set up well. Each episode has a defined plot set out beforehand, including the one that is just one background for the entire episode- A parody of "Filler" episodes amped to the extreme. Some episodes just have bad stories too- but it's all personal taste, almost. I'm sure somebody who hasn't seen Saving Private Ryan won't appreciate the previously mentioned sperm episode, and as somebody who never watched transformers as a kid, I could care less about the transformers parody episode. ART: 9 The art is absolutely amazing. It's so good. I think what blows me away the most is the style. I've never seen anything like it, and the animation quality is superb. There's obvious "tweening" (probably not the actual term, but for lack of better terms) and animation shortcuts, but it's part of the overly cartoony style. Despite the animation being almost childish, it also is somehow badass. The way the curves flow into sharp points and the way the animation is pulled off during the fightscenes is like eyecandy to watch. Also, whenever a demon is killed, it turns into a clay figure of the monster beautifully (in an awful way) exploding in real life. There are some minor flaws here and there, and some scenes that are randomly lower quality for no real reason, but overall, it's a pleasure to look at. I should note though that during the "beach" episode, the quality in animation drops. I highly recommend you just skip it, the jokes aren't that good either honestly. SOUND: 9 I think this is one of the best soundtracks of any anime. I sometimes introduce it to people without even bringing up the anime, and have gotten a few people to download the soundtracks without even knowing where they come from. Even in the show it's amazing, and wonderfully put into each scene. However, there are a few that strike me as "EH". Especially ones that contain sexual moaning in the actual song. It's cheesy and although it fits the tone of the show, it really doesn't make something good to listen to. Also if you're planning on downloading the OST, you have to carefully pick through it as half the songs are just audiobooks of the characters in japanese. The voices are also done well. If you choose the Japanese audio, you get hilarious engrish that almost seems intentional, and if you choose English, you get the most stereotypically black voice actor to portray the loveable child molesting priest, garterbelt. CHARACTER: 8 The characters are hit and miss, but the ones that work work really well. The main characters of panty and stocking are lovable, but in a way where you hate them too (it's quite hard to explain). The demon sisters, the main villains, are somehow the most likable characters in the show- well thought out and smart, but somehow get foiled every time. The minor characters are the ones that are usually miss- I don't really care for brief, and garterbelt's character is kind of forced. ENJOYMENT: 6 I have already gone on and on about why this show is good, but let me explain in this section why I think the show is bad, because there is quite a bit to say. The easiest thing to say and what this section is mainly about: the jokes sometimes go too far. One distinct example is a beach episode- obviously parodying, well, beach episodes, but it goes on and on to the point where it just becomes a generic, fanservice-filled beach episode itself as well. And while the slapstick humour about sex and toilet humour are excellently (as good as you can get) done most of the time, I find myself at least once an episode going "ok, I get it, move on." There actually seems to be whole episodes that I just don't like, another reason why I don't really recommend this anime to people. This anime is literally the definition of "hit or miss" to me, but when it's good, it's really good. I generally don't like dirty humour, and I feel like this show is a grab bag of well done bits of it, and lowbrow trash that just embarrasses me while I'm watching it. OVERALL: 7 For an anime where I didn't think I would have much to say going in, I can hardly believe this is probably my longest review so far. The content I've written is unusually balanced as well- I give the show overall a 7, but I talk mainly about how good it is and hardly about how bad it is. I feel like there's a certain aura to this show that just draws me to it, whether it be the style, the awful humour, or the weirdness of it all, but I have to admit- It's a pretty "bad" show traditionally. A show involving a whore and a candy loving goth fighting demons is a concept I would scoff and make fun of if I heard it on paper, but the way they pull off the satire and core nature of the show makes it "special". A deconstruction on anime and a satire on pretty much everything that exists, Panty and Stocking is an anime that I wouldn't recommend, would recommend, tell you to experience it for yourself, and tell you to steer clear at all times. I find myself constantly forgetting that this show exists, and it's probably for the better considering I find it extremely embarrassing I laughed a lot while first watching it in highschool simply because the humour is SO lowbrow. By the way, the ending is amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 28, 2014 Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(8/12 eps)
As you may notice, I have not watched all of Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui! (Or as the sane call it, Watamote)- and that is simply because it is the most hard to watch anime out there. I have seen brutal horror animes and read Punpun just to name a few close comparisons in hard to finish, but in the end I honestly can say that Watamote is an anime that I can just not complete under any sane circumstance and I congratulate people who have gotten through the whole thing. But this is not because of what is put
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into the show is bad, but rather.... Well, It's better to leave it to it's own section at the end.
I'm going to get the criteria I usually save until the end out of the way so I can talk about what makes this show so unbearable to watch in the "Enjoyment" section: STORY: 6 Watamote has some sort of progression, a slow introduction of a gradual cast of characters, plot points in each episode that are coherent- but it doesn't seem to ever want to go anywhere. I suppose this is normal for "Slice of Life" animes, but Watamote seems stubborn in keeping you in one place. Each episode seems to drag on for eternity, to the point where it almost feels real time from day to night- and not in the show's favour. ART: 7 The first I was introduced to this anime besides from a basic outline of the plot was the opening- and wow, it caught my eye. It's art style is stylized enough to stand way out from the crowd, yet firm enough to remain easy to look at and not a strain on the eyes. However, once the actual anime starts, it begins to show it's seams and laziness once in a while. But overall, the artstyle is very pleasant to look at- and while the opening is definitely the best animation you'll be seeing on the show, the rest isn't exactly a tax on the overall quality of the show. SOUND: 9 Probably the best part of the anime. Watamote isn't afraid of going all over the place with it's soundtrack- from the extremely unfitting metal/hard rock roots that are still absolutely amazing to listen to, to probably the only Hatsune Miku song I really like, to upbeat pop and sometimes jazz. Some music and ambience even seems like it's fitting in a more horror based anime- I just love the way Watamote isn't afraid to just experiment with it's soundtrack and not have one distinct style. (Almost) every track is a pleasure to listen to, and the ones that aren't are either joke tracks or play for a brief duration in the show. I'd highly recommend a skimming through the OST. The voice acting is also good too, and fitting to the characters they play. They express a lot of emotion and feeling just through voice sometimes. (English Subtitles/Japanese Voiceover) CHARACTER: 4 Every character is a stereotype. In short, this is fitting based on the fact that this anime is sort of a "lens" into how the main character views the world, but it really just ends up feeling lazy and generic as each character shows up and you see the extent of their one dimension within 5 minutes. A small girl is cute but observant, Tomoko's friend is hot and popular but used to be nerdy, etc etc. It feels like it was done in a total of 5 minutes. The one exception is Tomoko. While I do not like her character that much personally, I appreciate the depth and thoroughness they put into the character. She is expressive, and a lot of her feelings are relatable to some points in our lives. ENJOYMENT: 2 And here we go. If you don't already know based on the plot of this show (and my apologies for not briefly explaining it earlier, I wanted to keep you in some sort of suspense!), Watamote is about a socially awkward teenager and her escapades of never getting a lucky break. It's the equivalent of going on youtube and searching up cringeworthy videos- however it's even harder and less enjoyable to watch than that because it's an anime that was made specifically to pander to an audience who wants to watch this, and because of that, is constantly trying to push your buttons and force second hand embarrassment. Tomoko cheats at a card tournament for elementary school kids despite being in highschool, gets caught unknowingly by her parents listening to audioporn with a "back massager", and frequently ignores personal hygiene and all effort to keep herself together- all while asking the world why she isn't popular. And while it is true that we sometimes miss the obvious and look past basic things that cast us in a negative light, Watamote will purposefully amp it up to 10 and make you bite your nails down to the core while watching it. But there is some truth to a few of the things Tomoko does. While a lot of the experiences she goes through panders only to a small group of extremely socially awkward people, there was a few relatable moments where her introversion caused more harm than good (My favourite is when she mentally maps a floor plan and potential actions of people around her just so she can avoid bumping into people she knows at mcdonalds). But overall, I have to say that Watamote is probably the least enjoyable anime I've watched. It makes my whole body tingle unpleasantly and curl up as Tomoko spends a large amount of an episode arguing uselessly with people on the anime's equivalent of 2chan, looking through binoculars to spy on undressing women with middle schoolers, and jokingly hitting on her (comparatively) normal brother to the point of implying incest as the joke flies way over his head. OVERALL: 6 A few of my friends who have also watched the show all have different interpretations of it- Some say it is a in depth study of social awkwardness, some say it's just a comedy, and some say it shouldn't even be viewed as funny. But I say no matter what it is, it's a pain to watch. It's not the art that makes it bad, it's not the sound that makes it bad, sometimes it's not even the characters that make it bad. It's the pure essence of cringe and second hand embarrassment that makes me not recommend this show to anyone who wants something that isn't spine tingling and hard to swallow. I know some people probably do, but I don't watch anime because I want to be forced to look away from the screen because my body is tensing up so hard from watching a socially awkward character fail miserably at something. I had a hard enough time with that in highschool.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 31, 2014
Serial Experiments Lain
(Anime)
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Writer's Note: I apologize for the sloppiness of this review. I honestly cannot find a good way to describe Lain with no spoilers, but I thought it would be fun to attempt to tackle it. This probably won't be as good as other reviews I write, and I'm deeply sorry for what a confusing mess this is.
"Before watching Serial Experiments Lain I did not think it would be possible to sum up 11 episodes full of questions that went unanswered in a mere 2." Serial Experiments Lain is... Uh.... Ahnn.... Hm..... Serial Experiments Lain is a thought provoking story about a cute girl... No, that's not a ... good summary... Serial Experiments Lain is a story about an evil corporation and the internet... Hm, That doesn't seem to do it justice either... Serial Experiments Lain is a Psychedelic cyberpunk drugtrip involving violence, mildly disturbing imagery, political and technological issues during the 1990's, and a cute girl in the middle of it all with a family that can be called dysfunctional at best. Ah. There we go. But in all honesty, I've gone through and tried typing a starting paragraph for this review about 6 times now, and hopefully this is the last one. Serial Experiments Lain is an anime that cannot be described in mere words- and as much as I absolutely hate the "you just have to go see it" approach because I feel it tends to linger around lazy writing or explanation, I honestly cannot find a way to tackle what Lain is about without spoiling the entire anime to you. Let me get some facts out of the way for new viewers: This show is very abstract, and this show tends to not tell you anything that is happening at all for probably 9/10ths of it's running time. If you are not interested in that, I still recommend it- just for the sheer strangeness of it all. But those are two things that could easily turn somebody away. Let me approach it to how I first saw Lain. I was bedridden sick, and got it recommended to me by a man I follow named Rocco Botte in one of his videos. I decided to check it out after snooping around if it was good or not, thinking that if I'm zoned out on tylenol and half asleep, what's the worst that could happen if I just nodded off to some anime? Boy, was I wrong. I bingeviewed the whole thing while half asleep in one day and to be honest, I feel like when you're in that dreamlike state while watching this show you tend to question what's real and what's not. But the simple fact that all of these interesting things were happening- the insanely creepy family of Lain, the Wired being a super dated 90's cyberpunk where the dead can talk through email, and people randomly committing suicide in clubs and off of buildings- with NONE of these being given answers until the last few episodes, made me want to keep watching more and more. I'm going to get to actually reviewing it now, and boy let me tell you that doing this without spoilers is going to be hard... STORY: 9 Lain seems to have a strange pattern going on with it: I can't seem to tack down what makes it good, it's just good. The execution of the story is really, really strange and abstract, yet in the end it all flows together and makes an interesting watch straight up to the end, even if the conclusion is a bit predictable by today's standards. It's not anything in particular that makes it good, it's just the delivery of the whole package that makes it sweet. ART: 7 Not much to say here. The art is obviously dated and not aged too well, but the 3d cyberpunk scenes as cheesy as they are still look cool and unique to me even now. The overall design of the art style is pretty great, with red blots filling in any dark area and messiness and confusion being a general theme. SOUND: 9 The sound category for Lain is going to be dependent on one thing for you: Do you like noise? White noise, guitar noise, static, low frequencies, minimal soundtrack. If not, I don't think you'll appreciate the sound design as much as I did. But regardless of personal taste, the mostly noise-comprised soundtrack fits the dreamlike and slow mood of Lain so well, that I'd have to say it's one of the high points of the series... CHARACTER: 10 ...That is, until you bring up the characters of Lain. I don't know what makes them so engrossing, but every character even down to the more generic ones just make you question "why?" and wonder about their personal agenda and what they are up to. I knew I was going to watch the whole anime as soon as I saw Lain's family- Her mother being very quiet and methodical to the point of creepiness, and her father being extremely obsessed with computers, almost to the point of "Junji Ito character development" levels. And the craziness doesn't stop there...! Lain herself is one of the most interesting characters, mostly because she doesn't seem to do anything for the first few episodes- she just sits back and watches the world explode into madness around her. ENJOYMENT: 8 Lain is a crazy, crazy anime. Sit back and watch the soft visuals, and question what's going on while aliens pop up out of nowhere and are never explained again. Wonder why the OS involves a giant spinning eye and question how Lain gets the money to buy all those server computers. Why does a 10 year old boy know about super conductive water heating (or whatever they call it in the show at that point)? It's fun to just sit back and watch all of this happening, although a bit confusing and frustrating at times. Overall: 8 Lain is a weird anime, and I can't think of any specific reason why. The reasons above all are good in their respective categories, but as a whole I cannot really put together why Lain is such a memorable experience. As soon as I walked away from Lain I knew that I could not put my finger on why I enjoyed it, simply that it was just "good". Lain is not a masterpiece by any means. But it's certainly something. I'd recommend it to anyone who has an open mind and wants to try something extremely strange. I'm sorry for this extremely unsorted review. I cannot do better with Lain. I'm still confused at how to word it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 19, 2014
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Anime)
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Shingeki no Kyojin... Where do I start?
In summary, Shingeki no Kyojin is a perfect anime to get somebody who loves action started on anime- I think it is literally the most mainstream anime ever made, and that is definitely not a bad thing. But with this comes downsides- ones not apparent to the viewer at first glance, but looking back on it after watching it around the time it first came out, definitely shine through. Shingeki no Kyojin starts off with a roar- the first 2 episodes explode right out of the gate with high-octane action that also leaves mystery to draw the viewer in. Who ... are the titans? What is in the basement? Why is Eren's dad so creepy? All this and more the viewer asks themselves as the end credits roll for episode 2. Then episode 3 and 4 jump in. It's a training scene for Eren and his friends, and it's dead slow in comparison. But that's ok- it's episodes like this that reinforce character development and get the plot rolling. And soon, the episodes with action will begin again, right? That High-Octane, bloody, gory action we've all been waiting for! Well, it does. But then shortly after, it grinds back to a halt. Why do I bring up the first 5 episodes out of all things to mention about Shingeki no Kyojin? Because it perfectly frames the pacing of the entire anime. First you're baited with that sweet, bloody action that makes you just stare at the screen in amazement of the beautiful animation and heart-pumping soundtrack, and next thing you know you have to sit through an hour of people arguing over the same issue over and over before going back to the action. This would be fine and acceptable if it actually resulted in plot and character development going somewhere- but rarely this bickering between Armin and Eren result in anything productive. Actually, Shingeki no Kyojin seems to show perfectly how to pull off the ILLUSION of plot and character development- Eren struggling with his inner demons despite somehow going back to square 1 every 5 episodes, the Basement which has been explicitly mentioned as having "all the answers" being completely forgotten about while the group goes out to hunt titans, and Armin rehashing what we already know to other characters every episode or two. All of this combined create a huge mess that on first glance seems like a deep and interesting story, but only through reflection of a different lens you begin to notice how shallow the pool you're standing in really is. The characters are shallow, the story tries to go somewhere but the characters almost seem to prevent it from moving at all, and at some points the story tries to go to too many places at once, just confusing the viewer until the next trippy action scene kicks in. I like to compare Shingeki no Kyojin to a Michael Bay film. This also makes it easier to understand what I'm trying to say (and trust me, it's not your fault- I have a hard time expressing what I feel in words sometimes). Imagine Eren as Shia Labeouf, and Shingeki no Kyojin as a typical summer blockbuster by Michael Bay. Eren zips around the scenes of the movie, fighting bad-guys and pulling off amazing stunts with beautifully rendered graphics and an amazing ost- but then hardcut to Eren getting mad at himself and people around him but not actually advancing the plot for 1/3rd of the movie as the action grinds to a halt. Add some comedic relief (if you want a Bay comparison, the classic transformers out of place masturbation joke fits well) including possibly some potatoes after a traumatic scene and then slap on the illusion of having a deep plot and you have Shingeki no Kyojin. It's a typical summer blockbuster! You go in, watch it, enjoy it, then leave and forget about it! I'm really not saying you're not allowed to enjoy it because it's shallow and noisy, I'm just saying you shouldn't walk in expecting a revolutionary masterpiece of anime- which is what some critics are raising it up to be. STORY- 4 : The story's foundations are put up well, but the actual progression falls flat as no questions are ever really answered and the plot never seems to want to go in a single direction. ART- 9 : The art is amazing! There are some worse-off scenes and some animation glitches, but the art is one of the things that makes Shingeki no Kyojin stand out from the crowd. Even though I am not a huge fan of the anime itself, I have a massive poster above my computer of it as we speak. SOUND- 10 : While the music and sound design is generic at worst, it is composed beautifully and always reinforces the mood set out by the show. I would highly recommend a download of the OST. CHARACTER- 3 : Easily the worst part of Shingeki no Kyojin. Eren's constant back and forth attitude and behaviour that never goes anywhere, Armin's arguing with people that last an entire episode simply to recap what just happened on screen, Mikasa's constant fight to try and save everyone and pull everything together: it's just all poorly done. ENJOYMENT- 6 : While watching Shingeki no Kyojin, I certainly enjoyed it- but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it the whole way through. Even while watching it, I noticed a lot of the fighting and arguing was going on too long, and let's not forget the 3-5 episodes of riding on horses. But the scenes that were enjoyable- notably the fight scenes and the pivotal plot twists certainly left a lot to talk about and were enjoyable enough to at least somewhat wipe away two annoying characters yelling at eachother on horses for 30 minutes. OVERALL- 5: Watch it, get what you get out of it, but don't walk in expecting the next amazing revolutionary anime. Expect a summer blockbuster.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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