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Jul 17, 2008
I heard that this anime was underrated, and then decided to check it out. After watching the film, I was doing two things. One, I was scratching my head, and two, I was trying to pry my jaw from the floor.
Wow, what a surreal, vivid, creepy, terrifying, amazing, astounding, memorable work of art.
STORY
The story here is quite simple, and is presented very slowly. The main character does not hesitate to observe and admire her surroundings. The pacing has been complained about before, and I halfway agree with these complaints. On one hand, the extra-slow paced lingering shots may bore you, and on the other hand,
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they will create a lasting impression on you once you finish the film. It's kind of a catch-22, which is rather unfortunate. The slow pacing is both good and bad.
ART
The artwork and animation are almost indescribable. I was completely astonished at how lifelike and detailed the characters were animated. For its time, the animation must have been groundbreaking, and it looks great even today. I feel that it transcends the "anime" style. The style and the background artwork I also enjoyed. I haven't seen many animes with a feel quite like this one. It's an extremely moody, creepy and somewhat realistic style. The backgrounds are very imaginative, memorable and often ambiguously symbolic. It's creepy and absolutely mesmerizing.
SOUND
The music was orchestrated and consisted mainly of vocals and choirs. Nothing really to complain about here. The music fit the scenes, enhanced the scenes and didn't detract from or overpower them. It was sometimes downright dreary, yet it was oftentimes whimsical and fantastic. I loved it.
CHARACTERS
There were only two characters, and they were portrayed in a very simple way. Their actions developed them the most, and although they lacked much dialog, it wasn't really needed. Their actions and looks spoke volumes. I wished that they could have been developed a little more, so that we could come to know them. That, unfortunately didn't happen, but seemed to meld perfectly with one of the themes of the movie. I felt that the director, Mamoru Oshii, preferred developing the world over the characters, because there is more time dedicated to showing the nice scenery.
ENJOYMENT
Are you going to enjoy this movie? Well, that, my friend, depends on whether you are able to sit tight and enjoy a very slow movie. Are you watching anime for the art and message, or for the entertainment? Angel's Egg requires the viewer to be on the same mental wave-length, so to speak. And if you are, you will enjoy this film immensely. It reminded me in some was of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and if you enjoyed that movie, you will most likely be intrigued and engaged.
OVERALL
Angel's Egg is a memorable, slow-paced, mesmerizing and beautiful film, and although somewhat ambiguous and confusing in its message, it will still stick with you and affect you. Whatever the message is. I felt that this film was expressed very sincerely, from the bottom of Mr. Oshii's heart. He himself said he didn't know what it meant. I got some allegorical and Biblical what-if's out of it, as well as symbols of hope, future and loss of innocence. You may find something else. It is incredibly deep, and it's not laid out for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 16, 2008
A pretty good effort from Studio Ghibli, here.
The story here is very similar to many other Ghibli movies. A character is thrust into a magical land, or sees something out of the ordinary. However unoriginal it may be, it's well done. It's well written, and it's well paced.
The art style is a bit mediocre for a movie. The characters are drawn very simply, and lack shading to make them look more three-dimensional. The background paintings are very beautiful, though.
Soundwise, it is very well done. The music is high quality, and the stereo sound is mastered well. The English dub is done pretty well, no
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complains there really.
The character is very relatable, especially if you are a girl. My sister and one of her friends were watching this, and fell in love with the movie. I believe the reason for this was the central female protagonist. She is portrayed realistically and believably as a teenage high school girl.
Although a bit short for a Ghibli movie, it's a concise, memorable and whimsical adventure into a fantasy world that is worth seeing. It is a good movie overall; if you like Miyazaki's work, give this one a go.
You can watch my video review of this anime HERE.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 16, 2008
Well, if you've never seen this show, you must have been living under a rock, or a giant turtle, or something. Or maybe you've been living in some kind of strange alternate dimension...
Yeah, it's Dragonball Z. Some crazy anime show. It's been extremely popular in the past. It still has a big following, somewhere, I think. It's spawned like 30 video games. "But is it any good?" you ask. Well I've come here to tell you.
The show spans for almost 300 episodes, and is ultimately drawn out so long that it feels boring and pointless at times. Oftentimes nothing happens in an episode, except for
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a bit of powering up, some monologue-ing , and maybe an "exciting" revelation that gives just enough incentive to watch the next episode. (Will Goku survive? Will Piccolo die? Will Krillin stop sucking? Find out next time!) Yeah. However, I do like some of the visual storytelling that goes on when there's no dialog. Reminds me of old spaghetti westerns like The Good, Bad and the Ugly.
There's just enough story to propel the main focus of the anime, which is the fighting. The fighting is where the enjoyment of the show comes in. Who doesn't like to see a couple of over-powered super-beings beating the crap out of each other, and subsequently destroying the surrounding environment? Truly, the fights become epic and extravagant, and are decently entertaining when they build up to one. This is where the 7 enjoyment rating comes from.
The characters are well-designed and are decently well developed. They are generally easy to remember, especially Piccolo. (Yeah, he's green, gruff, and has a soft spot. Now you know everything about him) The world's pretty interesting. It's some kind of future world that is also inhabited by dinosaurs and strange animal-people.
The music is orchestrated, and sounds a bit dated, but fits the scenes and the epic scope of the show. However, there are some awful disco Superfriends style songs that are a bit cringe worthy at times, but overall, it's decent, and more original than most animes.
Overall I give this show a 6 out of 10. It's really nothing profound or meaningful. Purely for entertainment value, I give the show a 8 because of the awesome fight scenes and the memorable characters. Unfortunately, DBZ is in need of some serious editing. It's overlong and lacks satisfying closure. (avoid the terrible spawn, Dragonball GT. It will ruin all love you may gain for Dragonball and Dragonball Z) Watch it if you are a fan of action, martial arts, and shonen melodrama.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 24, 2008
26 episodes of a revolutionary anime that mixed comedy and drama flawlessly. This anime found great popularity in the U.S. and for good reason. Like Wings of Honneamise, it very thoughtfully combined religious themes and pacifism in a morality tale.
The first half of the series introduces the characters, and may turn some people off by its silliness, but it makes sense throughout the second half. If the entire thing was completely serious, Vash's character development wouldn't have the same effect.
The music is very subtle and gets the job done. It's not overly noticeable, and compliments the scenes quite well. I heard one of the
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members of the band Black Mages composed the music. The music is very recognizable and memorable for how simple it is.
The characters are extremely well developed and human. Vash the stampede is one of the most multi-dimensional characters created in anime. You may be constantly asking yourself questions about him. So is he a womanizer or a gentleman? Is he a killer or a pacifist? A goofball or a serious, stern person? All of it is very well developed and lets you know that Vash doesn't have just one side to him. His friend Wolfwood is also very multi-dimensional and developed.
The animation and drawings in Trigun are not so great. They are in fact very mediocre, which is a shame. Many of the lines are drawn poorly, unevenly and the movement is often very choppy and of a low frame-rate (some of the episodes don't suffer from this, however). The lower quality animation is probably a budget issue, so it's a little easier to forgive. It must be extremely difficult to craft such a great series under so much pressure.
However, it's definitely one of the greatest moral dramatic comedies I've ever seen. The last few episodes left an impression on me; the show has a very clear and valuable message that has staying power. If you are up for a nice 26 episode series to laugh and cry with, give Trigun a whirl.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 24, 2008
Probably the most underrated anime piece of all time.
Magnetic Rose really shows how far animation can go in terms of direction and perfect pacing. Some of this was probably the inspiration to much of Cowboy Bebop, redefined space sci-fi anime by allowing music to take a much larger role in the story telling. There is some nice CGI that doesn't distract from the film.
STORY/CHARACTER
The story, which I heard was co-written by Satoshi Kon, is very memorable and well-plotted. It's obvious that much work has gone into perfectly balancing the scenes and using them wisely to help develop the characters in such a short time.
ART
The artwork
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and animation are almost unparalleled. I rarely see animation so fluid, detailed and beautiful, in either anime or western animation. The characters are always doing something, even while they are talking, albeit subtly, it helps to develop who the characters are. I think the animation rivals that of Akira, Wings of Honneamise and Angel's Egg.
SOUND
The music is beautiful, fully orchestrated and operatic. It's very well paced with the progression of the scenes to such a high degree, it is a work of technical expertise. Even if you dislike opera, you will still probably enjoy how it fits with the scenes, the story, and the plot. It gels nicely.
OVERALL/ENJOYMENT
Overall, Magnetic Rose is my favorite sci-fi anime. I wouldn't really consider the short length a flaw, since I consider that this film is a piece, and makes good with the time it's allotted to. Had it been longer though, we could learn a bit more about the characters, which could increase its lasting appeal. However, I firmly believe that this beautiful piece of art is a masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 24, 2008
Miyazaki's first work he can 100% call his own, Nausicaa really set the standard for all-age anime cinema a notch up from Castle of Cagliostro. This anime goes down to be one of the most influential with its environmental message in a post-apocalyptic world. Unlike many anime before it, the cast of characters is huge, the plot complex, and the scope is epic, redefining what anime can do.
There are small problems, some dealing with the dialogue. There is often needless dialogue where Nausicaa talks to herself, explaining things to the audience. Examples:
"An Ohm!"
"Gunshots!"
"It came off!"
"It even chipped a ceramic sword!"
Yes, Nausicaa. We know. We
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can figure it out ourselves. This expositional dialog is childish and distracting, and would be better off removed.
The music is hit and miss. A lot of the music is 80's keyboards, and some of it is beautiful orchestra. I think the orchestrated music is amazing, and so I can forgive it. (Maybe someday. I'll forgive you someday, Nausicaa. Someday. =p)
Although the animation pales in comparison to Miyizaki's later work, it's the story and the well-developed world that makes this a classic. It's as enjoyable as eating a nice, fresh, slab of greasy delicious bacon in the morning before going to school. Yes, it's that good. Buy it, and forget about its faults. It's an old movie, 1984 for cryin' out loud.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 24, 2008
Wings of Honneamise is a perhaps one of the most underrated and under-appreciated animes ever made. It is clearly made for adults, not due to vulgarity or gratuitous violence, but due to its moral ambitions and its seriousness.
STORY
Ahead of its time. Amazing storytelling, a cut above almost every other anime out there, save for maybe Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon. The young director of this film really knew his stuff.
ART
The art style is a bit old, but by no means is it bad. It is extremely detailed at times, and the animation is very fluid and stunning. I'd say it's around AKIRA quality.
SOUND
Sadly, the weakest link
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in WoH. The music, while trying to sound otherworldly, fails to enhance the scenes most of the time. There are two memorable songs, though, near the end.
CHARACTER
Some of the best character development you'll ever see in an anime. This is the kind of movie that even non-anime fans will like. The characters are very well handled, and grow after each scene.
ENJOYMENT
Extremely entertaining, well directed, amazing climactic action scene, what else do you want?
OVERALL
An extremely underrated classic. I don't know why the rating is so low. Seriously, go watch this movie. Buy it even, it's not that expensive on VHS. The fact that this movie is so underrated really depresses me, and makes me think twice about the taste of most anime fans.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 23, 2008
This 2 episode anime OVA is not great. In fact, it could use a lot of work.
Why? Well let's start with the good.
Well, I do like the themes and the concept of the story. It's a post-apocalyptic world where the poor are literally forced to live in the garbage dumps of the rich. While the aristocrats live in a rich, floating city, the poor are forced to live in a brutal, criminal ridden underworld where murderers, assassins, and bounty hunters thrive.
The art and animation are definately great. The character designs seem to have heart and soul in them, unlike many of the newer animes
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today, in my opinion... There's just something about these earlier animes, where the imperfections and flaws don't really seem to detract from the style. Certain liberties that artists are given visibly contribute to an intimately crafted feel. For example, when Galley screams, the details in her face evoke a more rigid, less manufactured expression of emotion than many other animes.
However, what I don't like, is how rushed the story is, and how underdeveloped the world and characters are. Many scenes could be added to develop the characters. Characters are introduced, and then minutes later, you are supposed to care about them. Also, this 2 episode OVA is nowhere near long enough to tell the entire story from the manga. Like Berserk, this anime is unfinished.
The music sounds very 80's and is mostly ambient droning to add to the mood of the scenes, much like Vampire Hunter D (1985). So the effectiveness of the music will most likely be a matter of opinion. Personally, I kinda like it.
The best thing about this anime is the concept. The sci-fi world that the anime is set in is so unique, original and amazing that it could have had so much more potential. While the anime is ultimately a dissapointment, it's still a decently entertaining action movie.
You can watch my video review of Battle Angel HERE on Youtube.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 23, 2008
Cowboy Bebop. Perhaps the greatest anime TV show created thus far. It's a massive mixture of genres, but is mostly sci-fi, comedy and action with a western vibe and a touch of film noir.
The story of Cowboy Bebop, or the lack thereof, is probably the weakest link to the series. This series does not have an ongoing story. However, the story is NOT the main focus of the show. Each episode can stand on its own.
The main focus is the immense variety of entertainment that this show provides. Many episodes are done in a different style. Some are dedicated to character development (what I call
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the chill-out episodes), some are dedicated to character back-story (each main character gets about 2 or 3), some are dedicated to pure action and fun, while some are psychological thrillers or even social commentary.
The second main focus is the characters. Each main character is very well developed by the end of the series. It seems that the creators found the perfect kind of characters that would compliment the crew of Bebop. And what's this perfect formula? Contrast. Each character in the crew of Bebop has a very unique personality. Putting characters that do not fit together creates very interesting and funny situations, indeed.
The music is top-notch in this show. It ranges from jazz, funk and bebop to pop, classic rock and choir singing. Very memorable and compliments the scenes well.
By the time you finish this series, you will probably remember many of the times where the crew were just hanging out, living their everyday life. I think these scenes are what make the show. It wouldn't be the same without this contrast to the action throughout the show.
Overall I give Bebop a 10 out of 10. It's extremely enjoyable; the production design is amazing, and it has lovable and memorable characters, as well as amazing music that perfectly compliments the show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 23, 2008
Seisouhen (Samurai X: Reflection) takes place after the TV show of Rurouni Kenshin, but in the style of Trust and Betrayal. The story is sort of an alternate-ending to the manga, and shows Kenshin struggling to bear his guilt
The art style is very well done, and the animation quality is top-notch. The background art is beautiful.
The music and sound are delicious, especially the music, which is some of the most emotionally satisfying I've ever heard. It is all orchestrated, very well composed.
The main problem in this is the story. The script is quite frankly terrible, and the story suffers from how it is told.
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It mainly consists of multiple flashbacks highlighting emotional scenes from the anime and manga. However, since fans of the anime and manga won't like the changes, these scenes are left as melodramatic and confusing to the audience that would appreciate this OVA more. There is a certain lack of subtlety to the emotions, and they often come across as forced.
For fans of the TV series and the manga, this is not recommended. The characters are very different than they are depicted in the show and manga, and the storyline is altered. This OVA is more suited for fans of the acclaimed first OVA, Trust and Betrayal.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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