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Apr 10, 2014
Captain Harlock
Going into this film, I had no prior knowledge of the source material or previous adaptations of Captain Harlock. Though reading the synopsis and watching some of its trailers, I could see a lot of time and money went into its production. And it didn't disappoint in that regard. It looked fucking amazing!
Characters and Plot development. (6). I must say the biggest gripe I had with this movie was the fact that most of the MCs (Yama and Ezra especially) aren't really likable nor have audience investment to their agendas. They sort of just "fill" their roles rather than own their on-screen moments, its
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a bit like they were given identities but never explored nor captured the emotion and character of their identity. It was left up to the likes of Captain Harlock and first mate Yattaran to deliver the solid performances and flesh out their identity. The plot and ethos was very interesting and at times inspiring but I felt as though the pace was rather slow in conveying the story which left much of the movie underwhelming at times until something happened. Although to contrast this slow pace, when the action kicked in (whilst looking fucking amazing! - yes i said it before) it certainly lifted emotion and developed a very enjoyable atmosphere to watch, Just needed a better balance in pace and character interactions to give an invested attachment to the plot and story unfolding.
Art, Sound and Action. (9.5) Wow, awesome, amazing, beautiful or holy smokes batman! The production level in detail of the animation is incredible and really makes this feature an eyegasmic joy. The action and art seamlessly work together. Sound is the only small adjustment that could have made this section better (to be perfect) and that is the suspense. There were plenty of decent themes portrayed but again the contrast between the highs and lows didn't really connect well together. Still its only a small botch on an otherwise awesome production.
One small side topic I'd like to point out and this isn't really a spoiler but more of a "window shattering moment" but it seemed to me a lot of the time that the animation of mouth movement during speech was out of sync. It's kinda of annoying when you pick it up and they give you plenty of opportunities to notice this flaw. A slight distraction to consider, it doesn't hurt the movie but just annoys the shit out of me. (Not sure if you, the reader, will have the same reaction - to each their own i suppose) It's noticeable in both the dub and sub, btw both are great so you're not missing out by watching the dub.
This film is blockbuster entertainment for its production value alone. Beautiful action scenes and character designs for the making of an epic tale. Sadly, the characters and plot can't compete with it. I had a lot of eyegasms during this movie and their are plenty of memorable moments to enjoy. I just wish it fleshed out the characters a bit more (especially Ezra and Yama) and pushed the plot a little quicker so we could admire more of its beauty!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 9, 2014
Sword Art Online
When I came across this anime whilst randomly looking for another show to watch, the synopsis caught me. I am a gamer and enjoy RPG, so naturally I quickly developed an interest to this series. The first several episodes caught my attention and the premise that you were trapped in the virtual world and in order to survive meant immersing yourself in this reality had me fascinated. The action scenes dropped my jaw right down to the floor and kept me wanting, wishing and anticipating for more action. Sadly the story, the plot and the characters lost their purpose and solid direction. I
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found myself becoming less interested in the dialogue/plot and more anxious for another boss fight.
Character and Plot Development. (3) The first four episodes created the atmosphere and struggles with the terms/challenges of survival within a virtual setting. It had that high danger element (killed in the virtual world = death IRL), gaming terms, boss battles and the development of a dark, mysterious plot. Later episodes developed odd time skips, episodic and pointless missions and a romance/partnership that though cute and at times innocent on the exterior, yet on the interior was childish and forced. Kazuto, the male lead embodied the hopes and dreams of all male gamers and fangirls by being good-looking, attracting every female gamer in this reality, every girl gamer needing his help and being overpowered beyond belief. Asuna, the female lead also embodied the hopes and dreams of all fanboys and female gamers by being cute, innocent, a bad-ass (when she wanted to be) having great cooking skills (literally) and needing being the perfect girlfriend. Whilst this annoyed the shit out of me thinking of this lazy-ass method to create these characters. It can also be mentioned how astute this series is in reaching its target audience by tempting us with our guilty pleasures and images of the ideal "gaming" life. (This sounds really sad) By doing this they've diminished the danger element and discarded the interest in the plot as you are addicted to the ideal of the gamer identity, not the individuality of the character or the story unfolding.
Art, Sound and Action. (9) Clearly the best aspects of this anime. The music is grand and epic in emotion creating the drama and struggle during a boss battle. Eye and ear gasms, truly a wonderful spectacle complimented by the wonderful art. A particular feature that really impressed were the use of colored highlights from sword power-ups and attacks, adding to the feel of a environment. May this series an enjoyment to watch.
SAO is its own worst enemy. In the quest for the perfect anime, they created lead characters with unrealistic traits and little individuality; a plot underdeveloped and rushed and the demise of its danger element (demeaning its survival needs). But it does get some things right, like the action (its boss fights), use of gaming terminology, music and art style. SAOis worth a watch but should not be taken seriously as it is a B-grade action flick. If you wanted a solid story and characters, it may not be what you are looking for...
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 9, 2014
Elfen Lied.
When I watched this series for the first time under the recommendation by a friend, I was certainly intrigued and curious at the world surrounding Lucy and the first episode established the tone I expected for the rest of the show. I liked the contrasts between the different Diclonius and psyche behind their varying personalities and hidden pasts. Now refreshed from watching Elfen Lied a 2nd time. I have painfully succumb to the realization of how misguided my initial opinions of the series were from the first viewing.
Character and Plot Development. (1.5) The direction, tone and brutality of the first episode is intriguing and
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sets up the interest to keep watching the series. Sadly as more characters are introduced and more plot points added to the story, the more insulted you become as a viewer because plot holes become much more evident that you'll begin to wonder how you did not notice this sooner.The lack of characterization for each Diclonius, leaves a lot of room for development but sadly there doesn't appear to be any except for their dependence on others. This leads to the supporting cast to push the story along as the main Diclonius, Lucy, is one of the most useless MC's to date. As a matter of convenience the creators decided to activate Lucy's memories and personality only when it is absolutely needed which is irritating to distinguish the huge contrast of her character from absolute uselessness to completely bad-ass and demonic. This only points out the contrived and simplistic intentions of the other Diclonius'. To sum the characters and plot of Elfen Lied, its a harem blood-bath battle royale for the exploits of the female body. (Weird description, I know)
Art, Sound and Action. (4.5) I was entrapped by the theme song, it can be interpreted in some many ways and sets the tone for an innocent blood-bath. (you could almost forgive their actions with this song) Sadly nothing else to do with the soundtrack comes close to creating any feeling for the situations in the series which may be linked to the poor plot and characters. The art seemed to have faded as the show progressed. Again when compared to the first episode, it seems the animation lost its flare but as mentioned previously this may be due to the lack of plot development. Action seems solid, again I hate repeating myself but excluding the first episode the action scenes just don't seem to match its brutality which is disappointing. Still watchable though.
Well, Elfen Lied is really hard to judge given its popularity. I can only see its position on MAL due to the unique ethos and unflinching pain to inflict on both its story and its audience. Its certainly a unique work of art but not necessarily a good one. It has the three B elements of any show that seems to by default have success in the anime and general media medium: Boobs, Babes and Blood. You should really watch it all regardless of the negative connotations in this review. It's only worth is that it's "unique." For those readers that are undecided, I recommend watching the first episode alone without continuing onto the rest of the show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 9, 2014
Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)
The first impression of this show was impressive, especially the first episode. An incredible start that set the scene for the series which had me hooked. (Including the theme song!) Sadly as the show progressed, my interest began to waiver. It has to do with the bulk of the characters and lack of progressive to flesh out the main story arc which really disappointed me.
Character and Plot development. (4.5) Rin is the MC (protagonist) of this story and by far the most interesting character alongside his father Shirou Fujimoto. The rest of the cast isn't really worth mentioning because they
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lack development on their identity. Sure you could argue that they have either subtle or obvious agendas in regards to their relationship to Rin but there's no growth to this intriguing introduction which sadly makes them a background addition to fill in for the off-screen time of Rin. This also translates to the plot there is no exploration of the Demon World and very little development of the outside world for an exorcist. Instead, the creators settled for a high-school setting with contrived situations and melodramas. The only substantial plot development is when Fujimoto is on-screen and given he's on-screen time is probably one of the shortest of the cast, this is pretty laughable and disappointing. One thing I will mention though is that the different forms of exorcists is interesting and is one of the few bright spots of the plot that they explore.
Art, Sound and Action. (8.5) I must admit, it is done quiet well. Especially the Art of when Rin unleashes his Demon powers. (blue flames) The fast action scenes are also very pretty and great to watch. You'll be popping eye and ear gasms throughout the series which makes up for the lack of plot. Looks a bit like the action of Bleach using their zanpakutos, only better animated.
I enjoyed Blue exorcist for the most part. It has a great start and builds an ethos worth exploring. Sadly they don't venture outside the realm of school very much but when they do its very limited and thus creates unexplained plot holes. So be ready for the melodramas and misfits of high school life. I would recommend watching with a lowered expectation of the ratings on MAL (currently 8.09 at the time of this review) or only watching the first 4 episodes to get the idea and then decide whether to drop or continue. Its certainly interesting and has the pieces to become a great anime, just lacks the execution to deliver a plot to bind all its characters, art, sound and action together.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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