- Last Online6 hours ago
- GenderMale
- BirthdayAug 26, 1990
- JoinedMay 23, 2010
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jan 2, 2012
ef - a tale of melodies is a deep, unique anime embedded with both strong and subtle themes in a purposeful elegance.
The second season of the ef series (tale of memories was the first season), a tale of melodies comes full circle. A tale of melodies is an awe-inspiring storyline that can be described as enigmatic, ephemeral, and turbulent, yet leaves an impression that (ironically) is vivid, lasting, and resolute. Little about tale of melodies is immediately straightforward, yet that is what makes the story possess the kind of depth that enables it to project multiple themes.
While the first season (a tale of memories) confounded
...
many viewers with its strange representation and plot development, a tale of melodies thrilled using the same strategy. Much of it is attributed towards the familiarity of the intended audience to some of the characters and better continuity associated with brilliant storylines.
As a warning, I would not recommend watching a tale of melodies before a tale of memories although in my opinion a tale of memories is a much inferior work, as it is important to understand the characters, which a tale of memories did not do as well or project to such a high level of excellence.
Of the many facets that make a tale of memories amazing is the number of thematic layers it possesses with such an unpredictable plot. The depiction and manipulation of time and space within the anime was played to perfection by allowing viewers to see the anime from multiple perspectives (each with their own unique set of themes) that eventually merge into one. The anime is is devoid of 'filler' and each scene has a purpose.
One of the things I found to very impressive about a tale of melodies was that it was able to preserve the continuity and consistency with story and character despite the entropic pace and developments within the story. Everything that happens possesses a meaning, yet nothing is immediately obvious before it happened. Often the anime has abrupt shifts in themes, yet blend with masterful synergy. Nothing from the anime is what it initially seems, and that is one of the reasons it is so good. In a sense, the creators imposed a set of strong themes towards the viewer without giving anything away, which is rarely seen in animes with similar storylines.
Along with depth and uniqueness, the broad variety of characters with different personalities, behaviors, beliefs, and even morality added more color and detail to the already intriguing anime. The level of information gained within each character was amazing given the anime's short length (12 episodes) to develop each of them. Not only were the creators able to do that, but they also developed the characters to such a high level of synergy that each character was connected to the other characters within a large web that if broken would distort the entire anime. To develop an anime that can sustain such a brilliant plot and strong themes while navigating through such a fragile web is nothing short of masterful.
However, in the end what makes a tale of memories a masterpiece is its message. It pieces together many facets of life such as distress, egotism, nostalgia, love, sorrow, loss, and hope and knits it into a quilt that provides different messages based on the viewer. Although the message might vary from person to person, it is undeniably profound.
A tale of melodies is a work of art. It paints a medley of characters in a world that it cannot be detached to and leaves viewers amazed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Mar 10, 2011
Compelling, but predictable.
Ookiku Furikabutte is an interesting anime that caught my eye. If you like the game of baseball or are interested in the sports-themed anime, then this anime might be very enjoyable. However, the reason why I believe that the anime has flaws is due to its plot predictability, the underdevelopment of the supporting characters, and the over-centralization over the baseball theme.
Despite finishing this anime in a mere two days, I found myself thinking behind all the enjoyment: what made this anime appealing to me? After much consideration, I found out that the reason why I enjoyed this anime stemmed simply from my interest
...
in competitive sports and that a sports-themed anime was refreshing in an anime era driven by harems. But after detaching myself from that perspective, I found myself realizing that the plot setup was very similar to many other sports-related animes and that the characters are developed in a very predictable fashion. I found some parts of the scene redundant and found myself looking forward to the baseball scenes not because that was what the anime was about but rather because the underlying plot was mediocre.
Additionally, in this anime, the focal point was centralized on the main character and a few (1 or 2) other characters. While this is often the case for any anime, baseball is a team sport, and for a 26 episode series you would think the supporting cast would get more development. However, in the anime, I believe many characters were underdeveloped or their stories/perspectives were overshadowed by the extreme focus on the main character. Regardless of how much you like the main character, the plot cannot be great with a weak supporting cast just like in the game of baseball a team is no better than its supporting players.
Also, I found that the anime was not only underdeveloped in some areas, but it was overdeveloped in others such as its baseball theme. While many viewers might watch it simply for the baseball aspect, I believe this anime spent too much screentime on the actual games. This drew out the storyline and while watching a baseball game might be exciting, one can watch a baseball game in real life too. I believe the distribution of screentime was distributed poorly overall.
While there are more than a few things that are wrong with this anime, there are also some noteworthy features that deserve praise. For one, it has a lot of cliffhangers. This is important for an anime because it adds to the audience's curiosity. Despite the redundant and often predictable storyline, that is one of the reasons it draws viewers to keep watching. Also, it does do a very good and detailed job describing the game of baseball and depicting the personality of its main character. However, despite the allure, Ookiku Furikabutte is simply an okay watch. While viewers like myself might enjoy it, other viewers that have different interests would find the anime unbearable. To me, part of what defines a great anime is its ability appeal to viewers that are not specifically into that genre.
Take away the intended audience and Ookiku Furikabutte suddenly loses its luster.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Oct 3, 2010
In my opinion, Clannad was a very good anime with a catchy plot, amazing cuteness and quality in character design, nicely crafted, and high on comedy. Trust me its hard to merge comedy and romance and do an amazing job at it. The last to do a decent job of the mix is School Rumble which in its own way was more of a comedy than a romance.
While some episodes seem to drift off the main plot, there is minimal "filler" which is always a plus.
In terms of value, this anime at least in my context is more meaningful than what people perceive it to
...
be. It is quite an emotional series with its ups and downs which drag you in if you're a romance genre fan. The comedy puts this anime over the top because it brings appeal to the anime from general viewers which are not as much of a die-hard romance viewer.
Lastly, I would like to state many people I know whether they enjoyed Clannad or not have strong opinions of the characters. A good anime leaves impressions good or bad rather than none at all. This is a great hybrid-genre anime that I don't think most can go wrong with.
Quite original and new for a world of anime which consisted of pure romances and general/comedy genres that scrapped romance.
Definitely an amazing anime at least on my standards.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Oct 3, 2010
Bakemonogatari is a creative and unique anime that meshes fantasy with your modern-day harem/romance; it falls short of greatness, but is distinctively good. By incorporating a balanced mix of action, fanservice, and subtle romance, Bakemonogatari aims to please a wide variety of viewers although it is directed towards fantasy, harem, and ecchi viewers specifically.
As one of the first animes made based on a novel, Bakemonogatari possesses many elements that an anime viewer would find refreshing including distinct character personalities and a non-recycled storyline. The animation itself is fairly original and the plot was stunningly detailed at times.
There are many things a typical viewer can appreciate
...
about Bakemonogatari. One can notice the producers of the anime were aiming for a home run. The voice acting and songs itself were amazing. The plot was uniquely represented; it just had a new feel altogether. While Bakemonogatari will not be seen as a great anime, the development of the anime had one thing in common with many great animes: it presented the story in new and innovative way. For a bit, it was superb and appeared to have major potential, but the producers of the anime just couldn't finish it off with a twist.
While Bakemonogatari is stunning at first, there is a dropoff. Many aspects in the anime were decent, but it never fully came together to produce an awe-inspiring finish that would slap the viewers in the face and cause them to think, ‘This was great.’ It didn’t come close.
Another flaw in Bakemonogatari was the underdevelopment of many, if not, all of the characters. Each character had a personality that stood out, but there just didn't seem to be enough substance to make any of them shine.
All in all, Bakemonogatari might have done a big favor for anime viewers by opening a new door for modern-day animators: novels. In a time when game-based animes are receiving a lot of hype and publicity, yet lack in breadth and plot, Bakemonogatari offers a potential alternative. In the beginning, Bakemonogatari seemed to possess some rare characteristics of your modern-day anime, intriguing detail and uniqueness; unfortunately, it disappointedly ended up just being decent.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
