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Jan 21, 2014
This is an anime for all the latchkey kids out there. This is an anime for everyone that has sat alone at an empty table eating microwaved dinners night after lonesome night. This is an anime for all the people that grew up in broken families, where stony silences and frigid stares were the main means of communicating. And this, sadly, is an anime for me, someone who spent the majority of his childhood, desperately trying to reconcile two hostile parents that couldn't stand to be in the same room as one another. I too spent many late nights waiting to hear that car
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pull into the driveway or that key rattle in the lock. It's the reason I was drawn to reviewing this anime, because the anime resonated with me on a personal level. I'm also reviewing this anime with the hope that my words will influence a few readers to give this film a chance. It's closing in on its 20th anniversary, it's won awards for best animated film, and yet still fewer than 1000 people have completed it on MAL.
Story: (8/10) Now I hope I didn't discourage anyone with my introduction. Even those that can't relate to the opening will still be touched by this remarkably poignant and moving film. Both slice of life and drama, this story tells the tale of a young girl named Hiromi and her pet dog, Junkers. With her grandmother recently deceased, her mother working deep into the night, her father constantly away on business, and a lack of friends at school, Hiromi finds herself struggling with loneliness and a feeling of abandonment. Junkers is her only constant companion, and we quickly learn that Junkers is no ordinary dog... Junkers can talk! When people hear talking dog, instantly they pigeon hole the film as a kiddy movie, but this film tackles serious and difficult issues. Divorce, abandonment, sacrifice, and being true to oneself are each explored in this surprisingly emotional story. Importantly though, the film manages to avoid falling into the trap of being melodramatic. The drama is never overblown to the point where it becomes unrealistic.
Characters: (9/10) Hiromi takes up the lion's-share of the screen time, and her character is more than up for the task. Her character is beautifully developed through out the film, and its very easy to empathize with her pain. Outwardly Hiromi struggles to convince the world that she's perfectly fine. She portrays a happy, confident, precocious girl to all who meet her. The truth behind the mask is that she's really breaking down inside, and the weight of wearing it day in and day out only makes her misery worse. Junkers is an interesting character as well. He plays the naive, well-meaning friend, but perhaps he's more than he seems... The parents aren't given enough screen time to really develop much, which is unfortunate, but fits into the theme of the absentee parents. I haven't mentioned the boarder that's living with them yet. His relationship with Hiromi becomes quite interesting, and he may be the second best character in the film. And last but not least is the housekeeper, who provides wonderful comic relief.
Animation: (6/10) Even if we give the film some leeway due to its age, the animation can only be described as average. The frames per second seem to be slightly on the low side, and some of the movements lack smoothness. The character models are simple, yet effective. The facial expressions work well to aid the story. The backgrounds and sets are very plain, but this isn't the type of film that requires beautiful and detailed artwork to carry it. The simple artwork lets the story and the characters become the stars of the film.
Sound: (8/10) The soundtrack for the film is decent, but not remarkable. I thought the voice acting was superb though. Hiromi's voice actor did a fabulous job, and was always able to convey her characters emotions to the viewer. I also really liked the maid's voice actor as well.
Overall: (8/10) Again, I couldn't recommend this film enough to anyone that enjoys a good drama or coming of age movie. After I watched this movie, I was really shocked it was as unpopular as it was. Do yourself a favor and give it a chance. I promise you won't be disappointed!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 12, 2013
Coexistence is a difficult concept for humanity to grasp. All too often humans choose the path of domination rather than understanding and harmony, often to their own detriment. We fear the unknown. We reject the unusual. We hide our eyes from life's harder truths. Mushishi delves into these concepts as we follow the protagonist, Ginko, on his unending journey through a strange and beautiful world. In this world, their exist living creature that are neither flora nor fauna. These creature are made of pure life energy and are called mushi. In this world, mushi exist everywhere, but only a select few can see them. Ginko
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possesses that ability, and works as a mushi master. Mushi masters travel the world studying these creatures and helping any humans that are negatively impacted by them. Mushi are for the most part benign and harmless, but sometimes in their quest to live and reproduce, humans come to harm. And that is where the story of Mushishi begins.
Story: 9/10
Mushishi is almost entirely episodic in nature. As I said, Ginko travels from village to village, searching for interesting mushi to study and answering the pleas for help that get mailed to him. Ginko tries to maintain the equilibrium between mushi and people, unlike most mushi masters that prefer extermination. It appears to be set in Feudal Era Japan. There are few reoccurring characters throughout, and you could almost watch the episodes in any order and still understand the bulk of the what's happening. Mushishi is an ideal anime to view if you're short on time because each episode is a satisfying experience in itself even if the time in between viewings is long.
By far the most impressive thing about this show for me was how invested I became in each new story. Very few episodic anime have made me care so deeply for the new characters that are introduced each time. The stories are all very emotional. You'll find yourself experiencing many highs and lows throughout. The writers succeeded in making the conclusions all very unpredictable. Sometimes you'll cry or yell in anger or maybe just stare in disbelief. I was never got bored or complacent watching this show.
The stories are all slowly paced, and there isn't much traditional action to be found. Shounen lovers may be put off by the lack of fighting. Romance lovers will be pleased to know that Mushishi has plenty of great love stories.
Art: 9/10
The artwork is absolutely beautiful. The scenery is amazing. No detail was spared as the artists rendered gorgeous setting after gorgeous setting. The character art is all fairly simple and traditional, but it works for the show. I would have liked to see a little more effort put into differentiating the characters from each episode though. Besides for a few select characters, most of the others look fairly similar to each other.
Sound: 8/10
That intro song! It's amazing how perfectly that captures the feel of the entire series. The rest of the music consists primarily of pleasant instrumentals that compliment each scene very well. I watched the English dub for this show, and I really have to compliment each voice actor. They really captured the emotion of each scene. Native English speakers should definitely give this dub a chance. I think even the most diehard sub fans will be surprised.
Character: 10/10
As I said before, considering you only see the majority of the characters for 20 minutes each, it's amazing how much depth each of them had. You'll often find yourself rooting for a character introduced only minutes before. As for the main character, Ginko, the show does an excellent job of fleshing out his character. Not a lot of time is spent on his backstory, but by the end of the show, you really feel like you know the whole character, through and through. There are no true villains in Mushishi (not even the mushi), just average people trying to make their way in the world. That contributes to the sense of realism this show projects even though it deals with many fantastical elements.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I'm not one to watch the same anime over twice, but I can definitely see myself going back and watching this. The most important thing for my enjoyment of an anime is the ability to empathize with the characters and the ability to imagine myself in the storyline. I found that this anime really allows me to do that. I'm also a traveler myself. I trek long distance hiking trails, sometimes for weeks. Mushishi captured the spirit of adventure I often feel as I travel, and that probably upped my enjoyment quite a bit.
Overall: 10/10
I really did love every part of this anime. I would recommend it with enthusiasm to anyone that loves strong stories and interesting characters. This is a must-watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 3, 2013
Feeling a little melancholy? Had a rough day at work? C- on that last history exam? If so, Doctor Penguin recommends a good dose of Aria the Animation to cheer you up. This delightful slice-of-life story is sure to have you smiling again as you follow along the training of three young undines (gondoliers) on the newly terraformed planet, Aqua (Mars). Known for its sleepy pace, serene settings, and whimsical nature, it is sure to delight any slice-of-life fan. Fans that require more story driven shows or action sequences will obviously want to avoid this one. On to the breakdown!
Story: 5/10 - Slice-of-life shows
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certainly aren't usually known for their complex plots and storytelling. Aria is no exception to the rule. In fact, it probably contains the simplest plot out of any show I've seen. The show is episodic in nature, with each storyline propelling the characters toward a new life lesson. I enjoyed that the writers for the show avoided overly sentimental or sappy story lines for the most part. They kept the same lightheartedness atmosphere consistent through the entire series. I still have to give it a low score though, because like I said, there's not much story to be found.
Art: 7/10 - The art style works well for the anime. The artists use lots of bright vivid colors to reinforce the cheerful atmosphere. Their recreation of Venice was competently done, but I think they missed out a little on a chance to really make the settings spectacular. Character designs were fairly traditional, but they worked. The only oddity in the show was the design of President Aria, the mascot for the Aria company. What the hell was up with that cat?
Sound: 7/10 - The voice actors (I watched the Japanese version) were average. No one performance stuck out as incredible or awful. The soundtrack fit well with the animation, but isn't something I'd listen to as a standalone.
Character: 7/10 - The characters above all were very likeable. That's probably the most important aspect of a slice-of-life series. I found myself emotionally connected to them throughout the story, which is very crucial for my only personal enjoyment. If I were to be more critical each character in the show is a little underdeveloped. I would have liked to have seen a little more back story for the main characters. At only 13 episodes, with each of those having very little plot, it's an understandable problem though. The only other thing I can say about the characters were that a few were a bit too idyllic. A few flaws always helps make a character more believable.
Enjoyment: 9/10 - On to the intangibles... How is it that everything else gets rated 7 or below, and this receives a 9? I really don't know. It just made me really happy as I was watching it.
Overall: 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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