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Feb 14, 2012
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, produced by the animation studio, Bones, seems to be your typical 'a down-trodden people' story. The land of the proud people of Milos was conquered by Amestris, and the people were forced into slums in the surrounding valley. The story goes from a rebellion to the creation of the film's namesake: The Star of Milos, or otherwise known as a Philosopher's Stone. Of course, this ties in Edward & Al, and they also venture there to find the user of a mysterious form of Alchemy. The story isn't really anything special. However, Ed & Al really feel like
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they are side-lined in this film and don't feel important to the plot. Their connection to the events are limited to the Philosopher's stone (which comes around halfway through the film), and their attempt to find the mysterious form of alchemy (which is scrapped very early on).
The backgrounds and artwork look amazing and really, well, what you would expect from film quality. However, most of the shots are of cliff-faces and caves, which gets old fast. Animation is all around good, but where this film really falls down is in terms of the characters; the sheer lack of detail is horrendous and the dreadfully apparent changes in figure when they are in motion looks horrid. After watching Brotherhood, this are a real let-down. The characters, all in all, just look bad, which is unacceptable for a film like this. The battles, thanks to the animation, have a good exciting motion, but it is in some of these where the degradation in character detail really becomes apparent. Also, note: The transformation from Human form to Animal form for a Chimera looked really awesome.
Voice acting is decent, as you'd expect, with returning voice actor Romi Paku for the Japanese voice of Edward (w/Vic Mignogna for the English) & Rie Kugimiya as Alphonse. Music was entirely forgettable, which is apparent to me because I have forgotten it all in the space of 10 minutes after watching the film.
For me, the movie is too long. The second act goes for way longer than it should've and the film dumps so much useless crap about Milos origins that it is hard to stay interested during some of the dialog scenes. The main villain also was a dud, but this being the case did leave open for a good revelation nearing the end of the film. The final battle is adequately epic and the spectacle of the creation of the Star of Milos is certainly well done.
All in all, it’s your average shounen, FMA flick; Nothing special, not bad, but nothing mind-blowing. If you’re a Fullmetal fan then sure, check it out. If not, this film isn’t for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 30, 2011
Baccano! A pleasing journey through 1930's America that doesn't fail in its quest to introduce an develop an array of characters and tell a compelling story.
The story takes place in America, in places like Chicago, during various years of the 1930's, and follows the proceedings of multiple characters who all meet through-out the storyline. Of course, this time period and setting was rife with organised crime and mafia families; the two play a sizeable part in the series. "The Flying Pussyfoot", a famous transcontinental train, is host to a number of Baccano's escapades and is the scene of a hostage situation, supernatural phenomena and grizzly
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deaths. The story is interesting, exciting and filled with many twists and turns.
The artwork is done justice and is appropriate for the time period; the characters are dressed accordingly. Nothing is so bright and vibrant as to detract away from the focus of the scene and the detailing on each of the characters and backdrops is done modestly. One of the scenes where the art really shone was when a character know as the "Rail Tracer" stood on top of the train, scenery rushing past in the background, with his face crimson with blood accompanied by a wicked smile.
For me, the sound was very apparent in the series and it did an excellent job of increasing the atmosphere of any given scene. Especially in scenes where horror and urgency was apparent, the harsh shrills of violins played to bring an airy sense of wariness. Light-hearted scenes were amplified with cheerful music and scenes host to establishing shots of the train were left with but only the sound of rushing wind.
The characters are varied and interesting. The two "comic relief" characters of Miria and Issac are especially well done and make me laugh with their every remark. Others include the various members of the crime families like the Gandors. All the roles are played well and all add their own little piece to the series.
With an incredible and also vast character line-up, coupled with an interesting story that presents it's self variedly, Baccano! makes for a good time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 27, 2011
ahhhh Air Gear: Break on the Sky.....on one hand, I like the fanservice, strangely, and found the battles to be quite enjoyable....on the other, I despise how poor the story is, how strange the are characters, and how this seemly came out of nowhere.
Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori or more awkwardly known as, Break on the Sky, is a collection of 3 OVA's that take place after the storyline of the animated series...I think; it looks like it is supposed to be more in tune with the manga which would explain why it didn't make a lot of sense.
Essentially, it
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is about Ikki and his team, Kogarasumaru, trying to enter a tournament that will help them to reach the top of the trophaeum. Ringo, as a member of Sleeping Forest, is now an enemy of sorts, and the team, for some bizarre reason, has to fight the original Sleep Forest team.....in cyberspace...I am not joking. The story seems like an after thought because they clearly didn't bother to introduce the audience to a slew of new characters that I assume are from the manga. It feels like a vessel for a ton of pandering.
Now to talk about something good, the art. The art is actually quite stunning and done infinitely better than the original, which is no surprise seeing we're comparing OVA's, made in 2010, to a series, made in 2006. The detailing of the characters looks great and where it really shines is in the aerial battles, which are undoubtedly the best part of the OVA's. Character's move fluidly, are well detailed, and fly around beautiful backdrops and settings.
Music is typical, nothing that stood out really. It does fit into the whole "Air Gear feel" though which is nice. One thing I do have to mention is the laughably bad moments where the voice actors say a line like "All for one and one for all." in English; they clearly haven't had a lot of experience with English.
It was strange for the producers to release an OVA that requires a fair knowledge of the manga. I've never read the manga, but I've seen all of the anime series; you would think that would be enough, right? The characters don't act like you would expect from the anime series because of this. Ringo is a lot more outgoing and Ikki is one giant douche....well more so than in the series.
On a visual level, it is awesome and I'd definitely recommend it for that. I would say it's for the type of person that say, watches Highschool of the Dead for the reason it was made. If your looking for something deep and meaningful, avert your eyes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 15, 2011
No.6. An interesting name for a series; the air of ambiguity to it definitely sparked my interest. The series, a lot like the name, works with a palpable shroud of uncanniness, and it is something, of which, I have enjoyed about No.6.
The series takes place in a modernistic and seemly ideal society with futuristic technology. Protagonist Sion, grows up in the newly built, ideal city of No.6. All citizens wear ID wristbands that holds functionalities like that of cellphone, and the government tracks the movements of all inhabitants. Through-out the series, this "big brother"like world shows it's darker qualities.
Shion, age 12, grew up as a
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privileged young boy, and is among the smartest of his age group, even so to be allowed to live in the elite area of "Cronos"; it is shown he has a bright future ahead of him.This all changes when he gives shelter to a strange boy, Nezumi, who later reveals himself to be an escaping criminal. Despite appearances, Shion clothes, feeds and helps Nezumi; the two have a clear bond. Nezumi vanishes the next day and leaves Shion with the trouble caused by harbouring an enemy of the state; Sion is stripped of his privileges and forced to move.
Four years pass by and we see, a now 16 year-old, Shion as a park worker. He witnesses the mysterious death of his co-worker and is taken in my the Bureau of Security, only to be saved by Nezumi and taken to a post-apocalyptic-like setting known as "Lost Town".
For the most part, the story works well. However, there are definitely moments that leave you scratching your head. The overarching involvement of a mysterious deity is one such instance, but other plot points like the corrupt nature of No.6 manage to balance out the near wackiness.
High production values are definitely characteristic of Bones works and No.6 is no doubt part and parsel of the Bones experience. Backgrounds are very well done and animation manages to be fluid all around. I love the character design for Nezumi (Ponytails are edgy!), and for the most part, Shion, but the pink scar-ish thing seems like they are just trying to give continuity and justify the reason he got his awesome white hair.
Hmmmm...the sound. While I love the opening for the series, a lot like the artwork, some of the backing tracks to scenes don't quite fit and feel out of place; this proves to distract from the overall impact of certain scenes. Some of the pieces are definitely done well and enjoyable; I am listening to "Spell" (the opening) as I write :D.
The characters of Shion and Nezumi work well together. Both portray aspects of the other as well, this is something that other Anime tends to slip up on, that the characters all fit a set archetype and deviate little. Nezumi is a level-headed, frank and cynical person and Shion is innocent, naive but determined, this is putting it a little bluntly. The friendship that they bear is seemly unrequited, of course in saying this, they could be described as your typical odd couple; this is merely on the surface as the extent of their loyalty and similarities shines through even Nezumi cold words on society. It is a strange relationship, but it works and proves to be an interesting "selling point" of the series. And yes, there is a homosexual vibe to the whole ordeal, but it is so insignificant that it really doesn't even warrant this mention.
I enjoyed No.6, the ending is a definite sucker punch, surprising and not in a good way, but even given that it is still something that warrants a look-in.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 13, 2011
Deadman Wonderland. Some people are terming it "The most gory anime of 2011" , well I may have to agree. It's got gore, but is that what it's relying upon to be anything better than just an average Anime?
Deadman Wonderland starts off with Ganta Igarashi, just a normal schoolboy...until his entire class is killed by a mysterious power wielded by the antagonist later known as the Red man. Ganta is pinned for the murder by ridiculous "evidence" and is thrown into Japan's first, privately owned prison, Deadman Wonderland.
In prison, Ganta learns that he now wields the mysterious "blood power" (branches of sin) and
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he will be forced to fight against other users, and compete in brutal, childish games to survive.
The story isn't bad. For the most part it kept me interested and staying on to the next episode. The story does, however, try to be serious and fails because the world encompassing it is so silly. I do feel that it is pandering to a demographic that craves excessive gore, but it is not so amazing as to be what keeps viewers coming back. It's been done better in Hellsing, Elfen lied and even Highschool of the Dead.
The character designs are probably the main point of what diversifies it, art-wise, from other Anime's. I, personally, don't care much for the look of the characters.
As for sound. Deadman Wonderland does have some ominous backing tracks which helps to bring out the full potential of various scenes in the series. The opening is rather interesting as well. The voice acting is your typical deal, nothing special. I do feel that Hanazawa Kana was a lot better in Angel Beats! as Kanade than Shiro in this series.
Character development was where the series fell quite short for me. The protagonist Ganta is weak, pathetic and generally just a pain to listen to. He gets down on himself, he is a hindrance to the other characters. This is all well and good, but these are the cliché characteristics of a generic archetype and are suppose to be developed away from. The series loses touch and scenes where Ganta actually does something mildly heroic are too little, too late. I just couldn't relate to Ganta and that is the main reason Deadman Wonderland fell down for me.
If you are looking for mindless gore this isn't a bad series for it and all in all, its okay.
P.S: Telling from the ending this series had, this is definitely going to get another season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 13, 2011
I will say this first; Angel Beats! is my favourite anime series. While a lot of people don't share my sentiment, and say that Angel Beats! is nothing special, I disagree.
Angel Beats! takes place in a kind of afterlife similar to purgatory. In it, young adults find themselves at a mysterious colossal boarding school that runs like most other schools...with one exception; Yuri and the Afterlife battlefront.
The members of the Afterlife battlefront fight the unfairness of life and also their idealogy of god. Otonashi is the protagonist, after he wakes in the new world with little to no memories about his past life. This may
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seem cliche, well, because it somewhat is but this works well as a plot device as his motives change because of his memories being slowly regained.
After a long break from Anime this was the series that drew me back in. The mix of action and light-hearted comedy has it's subtle mesh and the Anime is brought together by some truly stirring musical pieces.
The main characters of Otonashi and Yuri work well and the supporting characters are developed in a way that neither wastes time nor feels that they are felt 2D dimensional.
All in all, it is well worth watching. It comes bundled in a short and sweet 13 episode set and leaves you fulfilled.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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