Kilnerbanker's Profile - Reviews

Last OnlineOct 7, 2024 10:35 PM
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BirthdayJul 19, 1996
LocationWest Yorkshire, UK
JoinedApr 13, 2013

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Aug 11, 2013

Angel Beats! (Anime) add

Recommended

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7, all good children go to heaven. (They wish)."

Angel Beats! is undoubtedly one of the most popular titles of the past few years, and despite having a good score on this website (8.58 as of now), it has received many mixed reviews by anime fans fans as well as critics. The series has its flaws; I would suspect even big fans of this anime can admit it has problems, I certainly can. For the individual viewer new to the series, it's all about if they can overlook these flaws and gain enjoyment from the series which makes it worthwhile.. Fortunately, I could.

Synopsis: In a ... world after death, a school of valiant youths fight against god in revenge for the unfair lives that they were forced to live in their past lives. Otanashi wakes up to find Yuri placed behind a rather large gun, and she tells him that he is dead, and so is everyone else in this school. She explains that she is the leader of the SSS (Shinda Sekai Sensen) and is spearheading the attack against Angel, a girl with supernatural powers who appears to be trying to attack them. But what is Angel's true purpose in the afterlife world..?

Story: 5/10 - Despite being an intriguing concept, the plot itself is frustratingly poorly executed and thus is where Angel Beats! gets its criticism from, which is unfortunately justified in this respect. The pacing of the story was poor, containing many unnecessary twists and changes of direction which left the development of the story feeling fragmented. The fact the the series was limited to 13 episodes apparently due to funding issues meant it wasn't entirely the scriptwriter Jun Maeda or the director Seiji Kishi's fault, but it is disappointing as the evolution of the plot could still have been handled better. I still can't decide if I liked the ending or not. The plot twist provided was one of the few that was really well delivered, but the subsequent drama felt a little rushed and forced, as was the nature of most of the series itself. Despite these aspects, the first episode was a very good introduction and the concept alone is enough to keep the viewer wanting to know what dark pasts the characters have, and what happens to them eventually. The atmosphere of the series was always sentimental, heartfelt and genuine because of the characters and was well worth it in the end, for sure.

Art: 9/10 - One of the strongest points of the series. The art is very pretty indeed: simple but appealing character designs, bright and colourful backgrounds and extremely detailed artwork was implemented into the weapons and instruments. The animation during actions scenes and musical performances was nothing short of sublime, and the aesthetic appeal in every scene made it a joy to watch. My only complaint with this would be that the characters hardly ever go to any different places other than the grounds of their school, and seeing those sights becomes a little dated after a while, but this is only minor.

Sound: 10/10 - To be honest, I liked every song in the entire series, which is pretty rare. I'm quite cynical when it comes to OP's, I often claim they drag on and get boring sometimes, but "My Soul, Your Beats!" by Lia was a very good track. The only other anime OP's I like as much as this are "Tank!" (Cowboy Bebop) and Tori No Uta" (Air) also by Lia, which were also great. The ED (Brave Song by Aoi Tada) was a different, more sentimental and emotional feel, which was just as fitting. The insert songs were just as great, with a special mention to Iwasawa's "My Song", sung by Marina, which was utterly compelling and so fitting to feeling of the episode as well. Other great insert songs sung by the band called "Girls Dead Monster" (Gldemo for short) include 'Alchemy, Crow Song & Thousand enemies." There was also a rock version of the OP "My Soul, Your Beats!" sung by Lisa & performed by Gldemo especially for episode 4, following Yui's main introduction. Awesome. The voice acting was good on both parts - the English dub wasn't anything to write home about, but it was solid - I thought Brittney Karbowski and Hilary Haag embodied their characters (Yuri and Yui respectively) very well. Also, many people will appreciate the presence of David Matranga, who was acclaimed as Tomoya Okazaki from Clannad. He put in another good performance as Hinata here.

Character: 8/10 - I personally wasn't a huge fan of the two main characters; Otanashi and Yuri. To me, they seemed like poor versions of Kyon and Haruhi Suzumiya (from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), but with rather bleak backgrounds. I didn't dislike them though, they had their shining moments. Kanade Tachibana (Angel) was the typical soft spoken, quiet and cute girl, and she was likable in the end. On the other hand, the large array of supporting characters were fantastic, but unfortunately due to the length of the series not all of them got back stories. My favourite side characters were T.K, who epitomized the superb eccentricity of the comedic side of the series, and Shiina. Yui did annoy me at first, which I kinda felt guilty about later on when I learnt more about her. Iwasawa and Hinata also added to the list of likable characters on show, as their pasts were revealed.

Overall enjoyment: 8/10 - One thing I haven't mentioned too much is the comedy that is largely a main part of the series, despite often having dark moments. The comedy was a massive part of the enjoyment for me, and contained lots of laugh-out-loud moments. The great thing about the comedy in this series is that it doesn't rely on one or two characters to create comedy relief, there are great moments provided by almost everyone, especially Yuri (the rocket chairs skit was unforgettable. I had to pause episode 5 in order to control my laughter). As well as this was T.K's English speaking antics, Shiina's soft spot for cute things and smart-ass Takeyama rendering the idiot Noda unconscious by reciting Pi. Oh, boy.

Yes, the series had large story issues which some people refuse to overlook, which is perfectly fine, but beneath the flaws, I, along with many other fans managed to pluck the enjoyment right out the show's many redeeming aspects. Sure, the plot was rather a mess, but the great set of characters, comedy, genuine heartfelt sentiment, beautiful art/animation and music will make Angel Beats! worth your time. Not Key's strongest production, but a steady recommendation nevertheless.

8/10.

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Jul 18, 2013

Clannad: After Story (Anime) add

Recommended

First review, ahoy! Let's do this..

Please excuse my British spelling and potential blabbering :}

Being relatively new to anime compared to some, having only "gotten into" this scene in the past year or so, I had inevitably been advised to delve straight into more mainstream anime; Cowboy Bebop, Elfen Lied, The Melancholy of Whatserface.. Those sorts of things, all of which I enjoyed to different extents. I then decided to veer off into more obscure and lesser known titles, just to broaden my horizon. Unfortunately, this experience wasn't great; there's probably a solid reason why the things I watched actually are lesser known; either they possess ... a 50% chance of developing a wonderfully creepy incestuous relationship, or they're pretty much just complete and utter tripe. Or both. Gotta love Japan sometimes.

Following this less-than-stellar experience, I decided to treat myself to couple of much loved modern classics: Clannad.. And then Clannad: After Story.

It's fair to say that this outstandingly crafted piece of work has had a telling impact on pretty much most people who have had the pleasure of watching it, some people have even gone as far to say that the emotion of the events in this series have changed the way that they will live their lives in the future. That really doesn't surprise me. So, why is this?

Story: I've seen Clannad: After Story sometimes labelled "anime's greatest love story", which I would like to agree with. (However: I, and other people that claim such a thing may not have seen every love story going, so take it with a pinch of salt). The amazing thing is, however: it isn't solely about the love story between just two characters, it is about something more; the individual side characters' hardships and their underlying meanings, the friendships that develop (and the unforgettable one that was already developed: Tomoya and Youhei). And in the end, the show's main theme, "the importance of family" ultimately pulls through. The pacing of the story itself is quite odd - the first half of the series, which is dedicated to it's supporting character arcs, is quite slow and gradual, whereas the second half focus on the two main characters: Tomoya and Nagisa, accelerates from the deliberate and slow moving start with much faster-paced intent. The rapid change in pace is welcome and the slow start is most definitely NOT off putting in any way, though.

Art: Kyoto Animation, what more can I say? The animation is typically great by their own high standard, with a special mention to the animation in particular in the scenes that take place with "the girl in the alternate world", which is probably the most compelling and beautifully put together animation I've ever seen and will see in quite a while. The rest of the scenery is a slight step down from that, but still provides plenty of eye-candy. As much as I personally liked the character designs, I have seen some minor complaints about the possible "unnecessary" moe elements that were present, especially in Nagisa - who possesses the typical features of a "kawaii~desu" (or whatever) character, with her prominently large eyes and small, fragile demeanor. I think the "unnecessary" claim is somewhat invalid though, as her fragile body becomes a more important plot element than you might think. The rest of the character designs are refreshingly simple and just.. Pretty.

Sound: The OP wasn't as good or memorable for me as OPs by other Key influenced works, such as Air and Angel Beats (I haven't seen Kanon as of this review), but that doesn't mean to say I didn't like it at all. It kicks off with a little bit of melodic piano work, and is then taken forward with a more full, poppy sound accompanied by powerful vocals sung by the ever talented Lia. Like many others, I was slightly disappointed with the abolition of the infectiously cute "Dango Daikazoku" ED from the first season. The ED for this season though was a good, more uplifting listen. One problem with the more uplifting nature of this ED was that it ranged from being slightly unfitting to infuriatingly inappropriate after the more intensely emotional episodes. The BGM in general perfectly fit the situations, and again, a special mention to the BGM in the scenes involving "the girl from the alternate world". Mystifying and wondrous.

Characters: This is another aspect where Clannad: After Story shines. I believe there is at least one extremely likable and relatable character on show for even the most cynical of people. Firstly the main characters: the insecure, soft spoken and adorable Nagisa Furukawa and the brutally honest yet caring Tomoya Okazaki, who in my opinion is one of the best developed male leads I've seen in a while. The development of these mains couldn't have come about with the help it's great cast of supporting characters; especially the Furukawa family. Nagisa's mother, Sanae, who is beautiful and often mistaken for her older sister, is caring, constantly cheerful and the perfect mother figure. She also makes some notoriously ass-bad bread. My personal favourite character from the entire series is Akio, Nagisa's father. He is a big-talker and is playful, he's also often the main source of silly comic-relief (taking the place of Youhei from the first season). But he is dynamic: kind, sympathetic and deep down is a serious family man. He also plays baseball with the neighborhood kids in his spare time. What a man.

Overall enjoyment/conclusion: For many people, the term "enjoyment" of this series can be easily translated to "emotional impact" or "effect" on those individuals, as many have shed at least a tear (or 50) experiencing this anime at it's dramatic peak, and only the most skeptical of souls will avoid developing any emotional feelings towards any of the characters; and what a great cast of characters it was. The series delivered for me in pretty much every single way, and even when I wasn't fully expecting it. After about episode 17, I was thinking to myself "this is great, but I'd love to know more about Tomoya's father...". Guess what? Delivered. Little things like that helped make it an almost perfect watch for me, and it's undoubted high prestige among anime fans isn't decieving. Clannad: After Story gives you just about everything: sporting a solid, developed story, the outstanding cast of characters, typically great animation, emotional impact and above all: entertaiment. This is why Clannad: After Story will be a fondly remembered and loved future classic for years to come.

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