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Oct 29, 2017
Okay incoming 1 episode reviewer here, don't take me too seriously:
HA this is shit BUT IT'S GREAT. This is approved by someone with S1 in his top 5 favorites. I'll be honest: This season is 100% imitations of Rie Matsumoto's OG style for season 1and no lie; it's only 1 ep in so I may be completely wrong but this style is everything I wanted in a second season against all my expectations WOOP...
Okay well MAL requires me to submit a longer review so I will, just give some of my general thoughts to please the overlords. But here's my general idea after watching just
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a bit of it (remember one episode is all I got!):
The art this everything from S1, as well as the music; the music is from the same composer at least so its fantastic. That's more a credit to Bones than the director they hired to take over for Rie (Dagashi Kashi director incoming, brace yourselves) but somehow, SOMEHOW... Shigehito Takayanagi has captured the original series' magic. It may be he's simply riding on studio Bones' incredible style but it's working.
Bottom line: If you loved Kekkai Sensen S1 give this one a chance; it defied my expectations (which were quite low coming in). We'll see if this keeps up but so far I'm in for the long haul.
I'll gladly update this review as more episodes come out (that's fun right?), and I do hope this keeps the wacky off-the-cuff-fun and quality it's shown so far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 2, 2016
Alright I'm not going to waste time: I'm a backer of the original kick starter and I know this production was always a long shot to begin with. We paid our $20, $40, $60 in hopes of being able to say: "Look animation in Japan is fantastic, you just need a great set of minds behind it!" Did we get that? Nope. Not close.
Story: 2/10 I'm just going to say that there's too much jam packed into 20 minutes of nonsensical best guessing. This production was supposed to be a 1:30.00 length film, at minimum. However the kick starter did not make it
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that far and we were left with a 26 minute sad shadow of "what might have been." There's great ideas, and extensive world that should have been imagined on a greater scale than it was. A story that starts with secret agents and ends with aliens; but at no point was I ever fully aware of what exactly THE HELL WAS GOING ON. Under the Dog is a classic example of a great idea forced into a space that cannot accommodate it, and the result is a confusing and rushed pseudo-story that only the developers would be able to decipher. If that.
Art: 1/10. THIS IS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE. UtD was advertised as a high fps animation production reminiscent of classic shows such a Ghost in the Shell. The developers implied that we would see impressive "Sakuga" (high fps fluid motion style) animation with good art design, original character modeling, and unique story. I was not treated to any of this, instead I was treated to a production that would not normally even make it to the regular fall anime TV season. The character work was awful, appearing blocky and undetailed, and action scenes were nearly nonexistent. It was disheartening and depressing. And I don't wanna talk about it anymore.
Sound: 8/10: The only saving grace of UtD was it's sound track, designed by Kevin Penkin (formally of #muchmoresuccessfulBlizzard) who composed a soundtrack which should have stirred audiences but never could given the garbage they were forced to watch. I can only say your talents were wasted in vain, my good sir.
Characters: 2/10: I'm not sure what to say here. Good characters require plot and emotional development in order to create a feeling of stakes for some of of threat or crisis. UtD simply didn't have it. They were not able to develop a large cast with only 26 minutes. It's not impossible; I've seen it done before(Hotarubi no Mori e has a 40 min run time but still astounds and impacts for instance). But it was not done here. I simply did not feel emotionally attached to anyone. And with that you've lost me.
Enjoyment: 3/10: I'm honestly so sad, because I wanted UtD to do well and shatter the anime community and a ringing bell of triumph that "Anime can tell an amazing story and move hearts in only half and hour". But it doesn't work that way. Production setbacks (the creative director was fired 2 months into the program, anyone remember that?) and the ugly reality of the industry of anime production resulting in another great idea with what I believe had REAL inspiration being compromised and reduced down to something that cannot inherently be enjoyed, simply because it was drowned in its own expectations and production requirements. I was not moved by anything other than the soundtrack, and nothing felt original in watching the final product.
Overall: 2/10: This is the story of what happens when a true inspiration gets dragged down by red tape, rules, and requirements. I dare you to watch it. Then remember to never chain your inspiration to a bunch of backer promises and regulatory red tape. Cuz this is what you'll get.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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May 3, 2015
Oh man stay away from this one. I'm not gonna be fancy here, this is more of a quick PSA than an actual review, but I could not stand by and let my fellow MAL users subject themselves to Kyoto animation essentially ripping itself off.
I should say first though that I love the original Kyoukai no Kanata show and Kyoto Animation in general so I'm not really reviewing the show here. Its just that KyoAni can't seem to do well with its show-to-compilation-film adaptations (I'm looking at you too Chuunibyou compilation film, but that's another story for another day). Why they
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feel the need to reinvent their existing works is beyond me.
Basically what we have here is the studio taking the original 12 episode series and cramming it into a sparse 120 min feature. The (many) small scenes that develop the characters in the original anime are mostly left out or completely removed in the movie, and the original show already moves blistering fast pace. We are then left with only the major plot events, and little to no context as to what's going on in the story or why we should care for our main dynamic duo.
I personally liked the series because of all the little nuances and goofy side humor that seasoned it, and the somewhat incomprehensible plot stood up for me because of how much I liked the characters.
So don't watch this wrung out version of Kyoukai no Kanata; it's like trying to eat an apple with no juice in it. Instead, watch the original series and give yourself the favor to THEN decide whether you like lolis with death weapons, siscons, 500 iterations of the word "Senpai" and all the other things that make this weird moe action combo meal a fun experience (or not).
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 2, 2013
Elfen Lied was a powerful anime to say the least. I was expecting a series with a lot of mature content; what I wasn't expecting was that all that mature content packed a punch of power themes and some rather deep characters.
The show is a psychological sci-fi that features Lucy, a girl who can literally tear people apart with psychic hands/tendril things. Not the usual happy go lucky content often found in anime: prepare for some serious violence and pretty much unchecked graphic content if you plan on watching this. There was also quite a bit of nudity for what I'm
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usually comfortable watching, so if you wanted to see this in a public place you have hence been warned...
The strongest part of Elfen Lied is its characters. The show is a dark foray into the mind and struggles of five high school age kids who are living in world in which authority lies to them and corrupt researchers stop at nothing to get what they want, in this case Lucy. Because Lucy has an additional split personality called Nyu, a meek and almost pet-like child who can only say her name, she constantly is in danger even with her powers because Nyu has no idea that she is in fact a murder happy mutant in her off hours. The way the series uses and develops it's story is exceptional, and I felt like I was on the edge of my seat most of the time.
Elfen Lied's theme of hope was what took me by such surprise. Each of the characters essentially goes on a quest for belonging in the face of their original families either being killed or abandoning them. For being a series with so much graphic content and some pretty dark concepts in general, the outlook of Kouta and his somewhat-harem-but-not-really-harem adopted family is ultimately positive. I'm glad the show had it's bright spots of hope (there is a lot of comedy and goofy awkward situations sprinkled in to ease the tension), and I was pleasantly surprised that the show did not take the "no such thing as a happy ending" approach I was worried it would take. The point of living through all the terrible things the characters go through is not to hate the world, but to love each other and live their lives out despite their various tragic circumstances.
Overall I was glad I watched. Powerful stuff, though definitely not for those of us who love lighthearted anime or are fragile of stomach...
Story: 9 {Overall solid psychological thriller}
Art: 7 {Average detail but nice use of CGI when needed}
Sound: 8 {Visceral sound effects, decent but not outstanding music}
Characters: 10 {Great development of the cast, everyone mattered}
Overall: 9 {Solid anime, gore/nudity still a bit too much for me}
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 30, 2013
When it comes to Kyoto Animation, I just get super excited because I love the other shows I've seen them do. So you can imagine my sadness when Hyouka failed to invoke that same love.
The story: 6/10
I don't mind the mystery genre, but the way Hyouka chained the characters to their high school really limited what mysteries they could take on. I had a lot of trouble keeping my attention focused because the issues they were solving just weren't that interesting. The most interesting mystery is done fairly early in the series, and that left me with stuff like "who stole the
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cooking utensil from the cooking club?" sort of deals. I know this show was more about it's characters than it's "events" but boy there is a lot of mundane talking that you have to sit through for what the show gives you.
The Art: 8/10
I love Kyoto's art style, especially with their character designs and creative fantasy-like stylistic look they often delve into. Hyouka was no exception, and if there's anywhere the series shines it's here. I especially love how vibrantly color is used in the backdrops and within the character's eyes. At one point Chitanda's hair grows out and sprouts a garden of flowers and vines. Forget realistic, that kind of artistic vision is what guaranteed I'd finish the show. Those instances were few throughout the rest of the show however, and the art remained only pleasant and respectably enjoyable compared to the other works I've seen animated by the studio.
The character: 5/10
A large part of what made this anime difficult to give my full attention was that it's characters were uninteresting. Chitanda was adorable and at times hilarious as she clumsily attempted to be a successful president but her character never developed much beyond her one-sided "I'm curious!" role. Likewise the other characters were pretty simplistic, and when character development finally happens it feels rushed and somewhat forced. For a story that relies on it's characters so heavily it was hard for me to get attached to what was going on when the characters were so static and one dimensional.
The sound: 7/10
A couple of soundtrack songs really stood out and helped bring out an emotional side to this anime. I enjoyed the first opening too, it set a level of emotional impact that the rest of the anime rarely rose up to. I wish the story of Hyouka delved deeper into the character's struggles or set some type of serious problem that the viewer could get carried away by because the music was good enough that it would have relieved the proper kick for a more emotional ride.
Overall I didn't regret seeing Hyouka but it felt rather empty when I compare it to the other projects Kyoto has worked on. Still I applaud them for trying a mystery anime, it shows they think outside the box and will take risks to be truly unique. If you seriously love Kyoto's art and character style then go for it but otherwise I think a synopsis will do nicely.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 30, 2013
Finally saw this after pretty much every one of my anime-watching friends recommended it to me, so I had some seriously high expectations of this series when I started. Thank goodness I wasn't disappointed.
The story: 10/10
Bebop is nothing like your average anime, it's run rather like a Saturday morning cartoon. It features less of a cohesive connective plot and is more like a play by play capture. The story not cheesy though by any means: each episode usually has the characters in some situation, usually involving a bounty, and will shape up into anything from a goofy but awesome action packed
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shootout to an emotional look into a character's past. Overall I felt like they got the pacing really well. And without spoiling anything I can still say you want to watch until the very end because it's pretty emotionally impacting compared to the rest of the usually lighthearted and carefree tone throughout the story.
The art: 8/10
This is the 90s we are talking about, so despite the limitations of 20 year old tech the show still looks pretty good and moves fluidly at most points. The age does show in some of the detail and the show's take on what is "advanced" technology could be better, but the detail and care put into the action scenes was pretty awesome considering there was practically no computer imaging.
The music: 10/10
The jazz soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno and Seatbelts was half of why I loved this series. A great mix between lively horns and upbeat tempo for the action scenes and slow almost smokey saxophone for the more somber times. I would definitely listen to this outside of the show.
The characters: 9/10
The cast for Bebop is weird and therefore each is memorable in their own way. The show took time to make each of them relatable by diving into their back-story at some point, and everyone plays an important part of each episode. I've never seen a cast that is so well balanced overall, but I arrived at the end honestly wishing that I knew more about them than I did. The series makes you look in like an outsider, but I felt like it intended you to feel that way.
Overall I loved this show for being so different. It doesn't fit any anime "formula" and it's not perfect (because no anime is really), but it is one of a kind and invokes a kind of nostalgia that I couldn't explain. If you don't mind branching out and seeing something that dares to be really different you will likely love this show as much as I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 21, 2013
Overall there was a lot about Angel Beats! that I really liked. It has a creative premise, seriously memorable characters and some hilarious writing.
My main problem with the series is that while watching I felt the anime only covered a fraction of its original content. It felt rushed and completely unfinished, like the studio producing it just took every other episode and published that instead of the full thing. I felt that the story and the characters could have been twice as good if they had given the anime the proper length it deserved. After all, why would you make
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such an amazing and memorable cast and then only devote half an episode to each of them? I felt rather left out in the cold to say the least.
Regardless, Angel Beats! still has enough going for it to make it worth the view time. Some fantastic music, including quite an amazingly vocalized and animated intro, helps bring emotion to an otherwise hurried story line. There's some pretty awesome action sequences too (after all, who doesn't like a chick with assassin blades coming out of her hands), and though the story isn't fleshed out nearly enough to call it a masterpiece by any means it still manages to do pretty well with what it has.
If you haven't seen Angel Beats! yet I'd definitely recommend it. Despite frequent flaws it is enjoyable and heart-stirring even at points. Just be ready to feel the same twinge of sadness that I did when I realized it had potential to be much more than it ended up being. I'd give this anime a 7/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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