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Aug 26, 2019
8/10
*Spoilers*
Ohi-sama to Kaeru is a 1936 short film meant to be enjoyed by children with some slight propagandist intent which we will get into shortly.
Story: 10/10
Spoilers are warranted for this film as it is only a minute and change long and the synopsis does not really explain anything. Also I doubt anyone genuinely cares that they are being spoiled in this review, where the time to even just skim through is longer than the total watch time of this anime.
Essentially, some frogs and fish are at war with each other and the fish are totally kicking the frogs butts. The frogs, while able
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to go on land, pray to the Sun which dries up the waterhole the fish live in. The frogs then pray again and it rains, giving water back to the fish. I'm sure you can guess what happens next.
I gave it a 10/10 because in just a minute I was actually amazed at the depth of story this film offered. I was honestly sad it was not longer- there are certainly a plethora of other short films old and new that really stretch out that watch time.
Art: 10/10
Pretty standard stuff for its' time. I enjoyed some of the scenes though, which I won't get into to not be too spoiler-y. I liked the designs and it was pretty easy to understand what was going on. Art is especially important here as there is no dialogue.
Sound: 6/10
There was some background music and sound effects which complemented the scenes, but there was no dialogue of any kind to cement any explanation into the film. I saw some comments on this animes' forums and some people did not understand what was going on, which I suppose is understandable. This problem also ties back into the fact that it is just over a minute long, so everything is sandwiched in pretty quickly including sound.
Character: 7/10
No one character stands out from either side. The three "characters" are the frog army, fish army, and the Sun. About the propaganda comment I made in the beginning, well japan is known as the "land of the rising..." There is still some characterization, such as how vicious the fish were and how powerful the sun was- things like that.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I was genuinely surprised that I would get such a relatively complex story out of a 1 minute short film. Not rally much else to say at this point. With such a short run time, you either love it or hate it. or it can just fall into that category of "another one of these, huh. A lot of it really comes down to how you watch it I guess.
Overall: 8/10
Pretty cute story, fun "characters" and just a minute long. No reason why you can't check it out. My only complaint is that with just a minute long, a lot of it seems rushed relative to other films of its time. I mean if they can do this in one minute, imagine two minutes or even three. Regardless, we have what we have, and its good enough as is.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 21, 2018
Ubatseyama- The Mountain Where Old Women Are Abandoned
An old silent film about a village where old people are exiled since the Lord does not like them.
Story~ 8
The story is very good. The main character disobeys the Lord's command to give up old people for exile by hiding his mother. The role this mother plays is integral to the story, which I will explain a little later; this is something the Lord and his subjects all seem to lack. The main character loves his mother dearly, which is another symbol for the respect younger people should have for the elderly. The story challenged the mythical/folklore-ish
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Ubasute, where the elderly were left out on mountains or in forests to die.
Art~ 10
For an anime from 1925, it certainly does have outstanding art. In certain frames, you can even see the paint strokes individually, showing the intimate detail that went into producing this anime. Sure certain frames are reused, but that is to be expected from the early decades of animation. The art does not come in the way of figuring out the story at all. It is easily discernible that this anime had a higher budget than many other anime from this era.
Sound~ 5 (0)
This is a silent film so the score should be 0. However, if I rated it a 1, it would look like I am saying the sound was Pathetic, by mal's rating. The anime simply has no sound. It can't be either good nor bad.
Character~ 8
Every character is symbolic. They all represent something that the original story was trying to portray for it's audience. The wise mother is a symbol for the wisdom that people gain over the years; anybody could have done what she did, but the only problem was that she was the only one that escaped persecution. The son represents veneration to the wise, for he would not be here, were it not for her (including physically, which is a nice way the original story tied this in). The Lord is a symbol for the popular public; whatever they decide becomes the status quo. There are many variations of this story with other characters.
Enjoyment~ 10
I enjoyed this anime a lot. It is one of my favorite anime from this time period, since I did not expect such advanced story-telling and plot development from such an old anime. In just 10 minutes, I was left with an amazing story about the importance of wisdom. I even tried to solve the puzzles myself, and was astounded at their answers. There is something special about finding a really old anime like this with an actual story that flows well, and not just some random scenes put together because they have to adapt so much content in a couple minute long video. It is long enough to get it's point across, while still being really high quality for its time.
Overall~ 9
I probably spent more time on this review than on the actual anime, but it is worth checking out for fans of really old anime, or for people who want to try something from this age of black and white silent cartoons. Some of these anime can be harder to decipher what is going on, and many are adaptations of Japanese folklore that only someone with intimate knowledge of this aspect of their culture would understand. This particular anime is very easy to follow and understand, while also being very symbolic. Ubasuteyama is a great watch overall.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 5, 2018
Uchuu Kaizoku Captain Herlock. An interesting take on the space opera genre combing elements of Uchuu Senkan Yamato (both of these are by the same Leiji Matsumoto) and the traditional western pirate. The story is set with a united Earth government and Space Pirate Herlock being an outlaw forced to live out his days in space, but he doesn't let this stop him from making many trips back home...
Story~8
The story was very good. Essentially, an alien race calling themselves the Mazone have lost their home planet and set their eyes on the Earth for refuge. Without giving too much away, interestingly, this is already a
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second home for the Mazone. The strategies of Herlock and his crew show great story planning by the directors and will draw the audience in. The downfalls of the story was its overall pace, since it took a few episodes to get started. This was mainly things dealing with on Earth, rather than the usual character-crew exposé which occurs later. Herlock, being a notorious space pirate is on his own with no help from the Earth, which makes the anime all the more interesting to see how this one ship deals with an entire race of alien beings.
Art~9
The art is amazing for it's age. Excellent use of colors and their various palettes. Remember the anime occurs in space where their are many different environments for the artists to conjure up. This opens up many doors for the production team to experiment with many art styles without making the anime look too overdone. What's more is that the anime is consistent with its animation style for better immersion. The art is really one of the strong points of the series and the finished product gave me an appreciation for older anime and reminded me I was making a smart move by not passing it up because of its age.
Sound~8
Very good and memorable themes for the music aspect. Very catchy too :] The seiyuu's really matched their characters well which helped in the immersion process. There are elements of standard space battle sounds which make certain weapons or sounds in general more recognizable. The anime just sounded great. Suspense scenes, action scenes, comical scenes, sad scenes, happy scenes; it is very easy to believe what the animators were trying to portray since the sound backed them up so much.
Character~6
This is a very controversial and very critical aspect of the show. Basically, many of the characters from this anime are just rips from Uchuu Senkan Yamato. Both have a drunken doctor with a pet cat, both have similar looking younger "hotheads", both have almost identical blonde captain's assistants, the main enemies for Yamato are a blue race of primarily men while Herlock's enemies are a blue race of primarily women; the anime was obviously inspired by Yamato, but this is where the similarities end. Leiji Matsumoto, the creator of both of these franchises, uses very similar artwork and designs for all of his works, even including Ginga Tetsudo 999 and all the cross-overs between these characters (can we even call it a rip off if they are by the exact same person?) Many of the characters have their own backstories explaining why they are pirates which makes their character seem more authentic in a way since they are not just fighting for the sake of fighting. Character motives are very different, given the lively crew a new dimension of likability, as the stoic Herlock has to deal with various mishaps aboard his ship.
Enjoyment-9
If we get past the lackadaisical character design and let them by as mere "stock character options" for the naysayers and "Matsumoto's specific style" for the yay-sayers, the anime is really enjoyable throwing it's audience into a world where the pirates are the ones who have the Earth's best interest in mind fighting dangerous battles and defending the land. A lot can get done in 42 episodes and I enjoyed this series as a unique space opera option. Again, I would have preferred if the beginning was a bit faster but once an episode started, I would be surprised at how fast it seemed to finish. Herlock showcases the importance of being calm and collected in the midst of any situation, since it helps him think clearly and his actions are very easy to understand and relate to.
Overall-8
This anime is very good. It draws you in and let's you form attachments to the various characters since they are each very different from one another. The animation was very good for its time, and the story was superb. The production staff really presented a well written anime Herlock fit's the profile of the quiet but very intelligent MC's which is always a fan favorite in many series. It's easy to imagine yourself apart of Herlock's crew sailing away on the vast expanses of the universe. It's worth at least checking out for a classic 70's space-age drama. How Herlock acts may even surprise you...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 23, 2017
Plot twist, plot twist, plot twist,
Backstory, backstory, backstory.
Evil or Live is one of those shows where the synopsis is practically totally irrelevant to the actual story since the point of the show is to "shock" you in the first place. If they told you exactly what to expect all the time, the enjoyment they are trying to create goes down.
MINI SPOILER ALERT: The show is not at all about Hibiki's living arrangements in this Prison School-esque set up where he can be rehabilitated for his net addiction; if you are looking for that then look away.
For those of you who want an actual psychologically
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mind-blowing anime (or at least are treading lightly with an open mind):
Story: 9
As aforementioned, the synopsis is total garbo. They intentionally make it as useless as possible because they want viewers to get drawn in by the premise (or at least have an understanding of character based psychological anime) of a net nerd Hibiki and his plight at some crazy military academy to cure him of his addiction. The plot is actually all about relationships, trust, companionship, and frankly, survivability at all costs. Almost ALL of the characters are not who they appear to be and many have deep and intriguing backstories to help explain some of their motivations. Friendships are put to the test and even the most depraved cynic can have the biggest hearts. That is what psychological anime is all about- they either get you the audience or they get the characters.
They miss the last 1 point because the overall pace of the anime should have been quicker. Many people dropped the show early on when none of the mind-reee'ing material aired yet. I advise you to stay for the long haul for this anime and not just drop it after a few episodes because that is all just build up.
Art: 6.5
Evil or Live production was apparently on a budget or something but the animations are still very fluid and well done. There are time when I notice them reusing the same animation many times like it is on a loop as opposed to animating each specific activity individually but that is what we get with a budget anime. The anime itself is Chinese from a manhua so it will obviously be different than standard Japanese anime. It was a fair job. They get the extra .5 for not using pink or blue fluid when depicting blood, they animate it in all its goriness.
Sound: 6
Nothing really spectacular. Nice OP/ED although most of the OP is verbal speech chronicling net disease and its effect on the masses. It's main use of sound are special effects witch are really great, but in an ordinary scene without action, it is almost unnoticeable or nonexistent. I don't reckon it even matters, though, since again: the anime is heavily plot based; music was probably seen as a distraction to the overall quality of the anime or another budgeting issue. Regardless, an anime like this does not rely on songs to move the plot along.
Character: 9
Every character has a unique backstory that brings its own blend into the anime. It isn't simply good v. evil, students v. military police academy, whatever. Almost everyone is manipulative, deceitful, traumatized, etc.; they have their own personalities that explains the reasoning's behind their actions. It would not be a wise idea to just take everything at face value- or maybe it is, for even greater plot twist shock value.
Enjoyment:10
I thoroughly enjoyed this series. I got more out of it than I expected all because I stuck around longer than most people. Waiting for an anime to get good at X episode is always a terrible reason for someone to watch a show but it is also important to realize that plot twists and big reveals are rewards for those who give the show its fair due. If you want to watch this anime without the intention to see this thing through or explore Hibiki's decisions and mindsets, then is anime isn't for you. It is great to have a judgment of an anime early on but this specific anime clearly doesn't cut it after the first few episodes and this is not the only positive review out there. You can enjoy the series too but it is imperative that you give it a chance; otherwise you'd just be list-spamming entries or wasting your time- there are plenty of other quicker paced shows out there that you haven't seen yet that will pique your interest. Evil or Live is really an interesting psychological anime because it delves into the famous character based psychological ploys (where the character goes through psychological trauma) and audience based psychological ploys (think of Texhnolyze or Lain) with its many plot twists and likable characters that grew on me after learning more about them. The action scenes were also very good and could draw you in depending on how heavily invested you were with said character. The characters do grow an change throughout the series, showing us how they have been forced to evolve due to their current situation.
Overall: 8
A solid anime with a few major drawbacks. One is that it sort of relies on the "watch x episodes before good" ploy, although anyone who was genuinely interested int he series would not even mind that, I'd argue since they know what they are getting themselves into. Another drawback is the Chinese-Japanese border hopping budget which limits the show in its use of music, animation, and many other production-based specificities. Once you get past these drawbacks, the anime makes up for it in a compelling 12 episode series that tells an emotional story about students trapped in a hellhole academy doing whatever they can to survive. The different roles each character plays really brings the story together since the plot twists really make the series. They are relied upon time and time again, and are still very effective; the students also grow and change showing you that they are not just static pieces waiting for some magic fairy dust to fix things for them. This was a great psychological anime that aired during Fall 2017 that could even be well received by many who are willing to explore how these teenagers deal with their net addiction at their military-based academy (at least that is what the synopsis want you to believe; I'm trying to not give away anything at all here).
I honestly don't feel like the current MAL score (~5.56) is reflective at all of this piece but maybe checking back later will prove interesting enough.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 14, 2017
Seikai no Monshou is a must see for space-alien anime fanatics, of any age, despite that a lot of people do not like anime from before 2000. In my opinion, this show is great because of how successful it became, with two other full sequels and a bunch of ova's, specials, and movies to go along with. This series was fun to watch and easily got me hooked. As the story progresses, one can feel fully immersed in this space world, and even find themselves in relatable positions. The story is about a boy, Jinto, who is the son of the president of Planet Martine.
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When the planet is invaded by the Abh empire, the president gives up without a fight in return for nobility status; thus making Jinto a minor prince. His title is his saving grace in more ways than one...
Story~7
I can only judge the show based on this particular season without any bias from its' many sequels. This anime more or less always starts off with a 1-2 minute pre-intro in Abh language. It is a totally made up language, and dub or sub, I never got any translations. We have to use our imaginations for this part. Then the intro starts playing and it goes back into regular Japanese or whatever dubbed language it was supposed to be in. The anime has a major plot, with 3 main subplots that take up the entire 13 episodes. In my opinion, the 2nd arc was a bit lackluster, but it probably was put in to show the versatility/creativity of the characters. Still, it was just a three episode burnout, which is only really important for those who wish to complete the other sequels.
Art~9
The art was great for an anime in the “despised era” of the 90’s and early 2000’s; a time many people try to specifically avoid because the art style is too old. It is actually done very well, and depict the scenes of space and some of its inhabitants on other planets pretty well. It does use some of the cliché’s, like the cliché for women to wear short clothes, but main characters usually have a full-body suit. The "humans" are also drawn more feral, in an attempt to make the Abh look even better. The ships are the standard many space operas have used. The attention to detail was also an important aspect of the art for the anime, with even background depictions surpassing many anime of its time.
Sound~8
The sound is excellent. The music really sets the scene and helps with the tone of the show. The space fights are better than many other space operas, such as Outlaw Star. The speech of the characters is varied a lot, helping set the mood of the nobility, where different people use different dialects. An important “sound” is that important “Abh speak”. It helps create the idea that the Abh really are a different species altogether with their own language and customs. Other than that, the opening and ending themes are very memorable.
Characters~8
The characters really make the show. Jinto is from a planet resembling Earth, so his character is easier for the audience to connect to. This is in contrast with the space princess Lafiel, which makes the audience want to get to know her better, because of her royal blood, but desire for military prowess. The characters are all well developed, though some names might be harder to remember, because they are Abh of course. The only reason I didn’t give the characters a 10 is because of that one arc I didn’t enjoy all that much, mainly dealing with a baron of the Abh Empire. He was still a good character, but I felt that it would have been better if he didn’t have a whole arc to himself. The characters and their behavior still pave the path to understanding the Abh people. This is contributed by the depth of the characters, and their beliefs.
Enjoyment~10
Again, this is a must see for space opera fans. The entire Seikai series does an outstanding job of depicting a space age saga, probably comparable to the legendary Uchuu Senkan Yamato. I really did not expect to enjoy this anime so much, but the story was great, the characters even better, and just the idea of an interstellar romance was enough to draw me in. It is a great series that I would recommend to everyone. It was immediately added to favorites after completing it, because it was the building block for an even greater experience with the other series.
Overall~9
Since I still want to try to be objective, I’ll give it an 8.5-9. There were some things that could have been done better to make it a greater show, but there's no point in debating what could have been. It is a great anime that is worth everyone’s time and is easily a timeless 90’s space opera classic. If you must, just skip the first 2 minutes if the Abh speak confuses you too much. I don’t recommend it, but there were some times I just could not fathom what they were saying. If this anime is ever remade, I would love it for them to make the language more comprehensible to the public, but this anime is great just the way it is!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 29, 2017
Gosick. This show is a masterpiece and earned a 10/10 from me. The story is about a boy studying abroad post WWI in Europe, but his timing pretty much makes him an outcast. Kazuya Kujo doesn't seem to really care about it too much, which adds to his character of still being kind to everyone. It is here he meets Victorique de Blois and their friendship starts from there. It is a drama-packed, historical mystery.
Story~9
The story was superb, albeit taking it's time to start. It doesn't really hook you in until later in the series as the first few episodes mainly build up each characters'
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reputation and well as showing off skills to impress the audience. As you may have surmised, Victorique is a genius, who taps into her "Fountain of Wisdom" to solve mysteries to tackle her listlessness. We mainly see Kujo as her lapdog, simply doing as he is told and is often the go-between of Victorique and the rest of the world. However, as the story progresses, this third son of an Imperial General has to take on more responsibilities and is open to adversaries to protect the things he cares about. Even Victorique herself is very mysterious, dubbed the "Golden Fairy" of the schools' library. With his less than perfect sleuthing skills, but big heart, the story is also driven by an aspect of romance.
Art~10
One of the best animations out there, at least of its time, the art is elegant to reflect it's historical European setting. Aspects of Japanese interpretations of English and French watercolor is the main feature of the art, whilst keeping up with its Japanese art-syle, staying true to its anime roots. The attention to detail is great, though there are some quirks as with all mystery animations. In real life crime dramas, evidence is always in front of the detectives, though it is there duty to interpret the data. In Gosick, being an animation, evidence is simply edited in to the story after it is discovered, obviously because that is how easy animation makes it. It is not uncommon for mysteries to baffle even the sharpest of knives because of how animation is able to abuse its privilege of simply changing the scenes. It isn't as bad as Detective Conan where crime scenes are totally manipulating in the comically most convoluted ways possible. Gosick will leave its mark on viewers.
Sound~8
The music is great, as it is a drama mystery, so background music is very important for setting tone. Gosick does its' job delivering great music to accompany the delicate scenes as well as the important game changers. However, sometimes, these will be drowned out by the attention the audience pays trying to solve the crimes themselves. Thus, it serves its purpose , in a way, helping one focus. The anime also has its' own musical soundtracks that are semi-important to the plot. These songs help to aid transitions and convey emotions, to which they are made to appeal. If anything more was done, the show probably would have felt overdone, so it's good just the way it is
Character~9
The first few episodes serve to introduce the main characters with smaller subplots of various crimes. After that, the main story takes over, which still further develops the characters, even going into their personal histories. Development is abundant in this anime, and just about every character has an explorable backstory. There's even a reason why Victoriques exploitative older brother wheres his hair in a "french horn/unicorn" style(?). The characters are well done, especially Kujo and Victorique, especially as their relationship deepens. Villains have genuine motive and case-by-case every culprits' motive is calculated in a way that makes sense to the audience, instead of throwing facts together and hoping they work well together.
Enjoyment~8
Enjoyment is an 8 because I understand how the first few episodes may have deterred a few people away. A romance anime that didn't take off very quickly; crimes solved where the detective got no credit; set in a fancy school but seldom ever depicting scenes there and the list goes on. One you make it past the first two crimes, the mood is totally set. It'll make you want to watch everything all at once, because of how interactive mystery anime are by nature. Plus, the romantically dimwitted Kujo will leave everyone in either amused or bereft themselves, on how he handles his women ;] The overall plot deals with mystery in the sense that truths are hidden, not in the sense that a crime is committed and someone must solve it. However, by incorporating both, Gosick is created, combing both the child detective tropes and the "you know my name not my past" trope as well. The problem is not even that specific character know their past that much either. This gives way to another subplot of finding ones' identity in a seemingly cruel and manipulative world. This is important because it takes a good deal of memory to be fully immersed in this anime...
Overall~10
This anime is simply superb. the artwork and characters are great. the story, with all of its' subplots and oddities create a wonderful tale about friendship trying to survive at all costs, or the mysteries that will consume both main characters. Kujo and Victorique are victims of fate, but that very thing brought them both together in the first place. It is up to them to decide what they will do with their partnership and up to you the audience to find out what exactly that entails.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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