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Feb 17, 2009
Having displaced "Titanic" as Japan's #1 all-time film, being the subject of near-universal praise by fans and critics alike, AND having received numerous awards including a 2003 Academy Award for "Best Animated Film" - from that, one would think that "Spirited Away" had better be good.
And it is.
Story:
Think you're too "hip" for a story about a 10-year old who gets swept away in a Wonderland-like dimension after her parents get turned into pigs?
As a cynical teenager now, I would too. Was I ever wrong! But it's difficult to explain the world that Chihiro gets trapped in without sounding like a total nutcase -
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you just have to experience it on screen. Basically, her parents drag her into this abandoned theme park, where they eat the food meant for the spirits and get turned into pigs. Chihiro then ends up working at a massive bath house while trying to figure out how to get her parents (and herself) safely home.
There are quite a number of subplots under this umbrella of the "main plot", but it only serves to illustrate Miyazaki's genius as he is able to effortlessly weave all of these stories today into a seamless story. While the plot may sound like a child could make it up, hidden underneath the surface are Miyazaki's comments on contemporary issues like labour relations and environmental protection in modern Japan.
Nevertheless, it's best if you don't try and analyze "Spirited Away" beforehand - take my advice, and just sit back and WATCH.
Animation:
As usual, Miyazaki's artwork was beautiful. I love the fluidness of the animation and the subtle traces of realism that Studio Ghibli incorporates into the movie (such as the way Chihiro taps her foot when she's putting on her shoe), as well as the detail that is given to the background (the scene with Yubaba's office is SO DETAILED!! It blows me away). However, don't expect to see any bishounen (Haku exempt). Furthermore, you might be turned off by the character designs in Spirited Away (there is SOMETHING wrong with Chihiro's face - I can never pinpoint it, but I think it has something to do with her overly full face, her smallish eyes, her almost absent nose and huge mouth), but the supporting characters are very well done.
Sound:
One word: gorgeous, especially the opening number, "One Summer's Day" with its piano solo and soft orchestral accompaniment. The sweeping musical score by Jo Hisaishi deserves a 10 from me because every piece, every note, fits with the visuals like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
Character:
Characters who are airheaded, whiny, and helpless IRRITATE me like no end. However, I can still (sort of) sympathize with Chihiro even though she is a whiny brat at the beginning of the movie. I mean, if you were 10, your parents had just gotten turned into PIGS, and to top it off, you were stuck in an alternate dimension with no clear way of getting home, certainly you would also be whiny, afraid, and on the verge of tears. However, I greatly enjoyed her character development as the movie progresses, as she grows from a brat who cares about herself the most to a girl who is caring, thoughtful, and one who learns from her experiences.
On the other hand, the other characters are just simply hilarious. Miyazaki's spirit dimension is host to a variety of lovable characters including dozens of cute soot critters, to a six-legged boiler man, and a baby who could overtake even the best sumo wrestler :) It's not every anime that you see a small bird flying around with a mouse about twice its size.
Enjoyment:
A delightful anime that never ceases to make me smile and giggle for a hour and a half, Spirited Away is a must-see for novices and experienced anime-watchers alike. With beautiful animation coupled with a gorgeous soundtrack, Miyazaki's film has the ability to truly spirit you away.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 5, 2008
Sometimes you just feel down in the dumps, and nothing seems to interest you. Well, Ouran just might be the perfect antidote to your melancholy - I guarantee that 5 minutes into the first episode of this anime and you will be laughing your head off at the genius absurdity of this show.
Either that, or you'll leave IMMEDIATELY due to its stupidity and complete idiocy. But hey, most people stay, so why wouldn't you?
Story:
Most people are tired of the typical, cheesy shojo series where "boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after". I know for one that I am SICK of
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such series. Ouran gives a refreshing new plot, where for once the heroine is not a complete air-head, and in fact is the voice of reason in the show! *gasps* The premise of a host club is just so new and unique that it's like sticking colour in a black-and-white photograph
Art
I am a sucker for good art. Bones has officially become my favourite animation studio due to the great work they did with OHSHC. The manga art was ok, but the anime art was -almost- flawless. Although it was simple, as they say, "simple is art".
Sound
The opening and ending themes accompany all 26 episodes. I have to say that Sakura Kiss was the perfect tune to open up each episode of OHSHC. The opening music fitted each frame perfectly. Background music is not that memorable, while the ending theme, Shissou, is not to my taste, but is decent enough.
Character
Hatori Bisco has created the most memorable set of characters. For one, as I have mentioned before, for once in the history of anime the heroine is NOT a complete air-head, and is the voice of reason in the story! Haruhi gets a 10/10 from me, along with Kyouya and Honey-sempai. Character-wise, Tamaki's personality is not the most original (the devilishly handsome baka); neither are Hikaru and Kaoru's, but they get 9.5/10 for character development. You can just see how much Hikaru changes over the course of the story, which is really quite...heartwarming, if I may.
From the exuberant Tamaki, to the calculating Kyouya, to the stoic Mori, there will be someone in the host club that appeals to your taste.
Enjoyment
Out of all the shows I've ever watched, OHSHC is probably the one show where I've laughed every single episode. Once, I even fell out of my chair laughing. Does that explain why I gave it a 10/10 for enjoyment?
Overall
This anime is probably one of the only ones I will ever rewatch. It's such a delightful romantic comedy. With a group of beautiful bishounen to boot, the Ouran High School Host Club is sure to sweep you off your feet.
Step into the Third Music Room, into the world of Ouran High School. You'll not regret it.
PS. I am pretty new to writing reviews, so if you found this review unhelpful, please PM me or leave a comment on my profile telling me why!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 25, 2008
Many of you will most likely have heard of "Yakitate Japan", the famous manga based on cooking bread. Falling under the shadow of such a formidable title is the lesser known manga, "Addicted to Curry," an equally good manga, but about curry instead of bread. I personally found "Curry" an enjoyable, laughable manga to read, and would encourage you to read it, especially if you love curry. I like cooking, and I like curry, so I really liked Addicted to Curry.
Story:
Addicted to Curry has a very..."followable" plot, making the transition from chapter to chapter clear and smooth. While each arc spans several (10+) chapters, within
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each chapter Makito will cook a new curry that looks ABSOLUTELY delicious. Furthermore, they even kindly include the recipe of the curry so even us regular people can cook it :) The only thing i have against the plot is that the outcome of each curry battle is quite predictable, in that if the prize is the goodwill of the curry house, then Makito will most likely 99.9% win. However, so far I am enjoying the pace of each arc, and the different curries that appear in each chapter.
Art:
My pet peeve is wishy-washy art. That is why I love Addicted to Curry's strong, crisp, clear lines, with careful detail taken to each character's appearance. Makito is quite good-looking, and Yui looks really cute. Enough detail is present in the background of each panel, but not an extraordinary amount of detail (the only background I really remember is the curry shop), But I am a sucker for good art, so kudos goes to the mangaka for beautiful art.
Character:
Not too much to say about character...Makito is a perv, Yui cries a lot (but not so much that I would put down the manga because of it). I have only read 60 chapters, so Makito's past is still unknown to me, but it promises to be a very complex and interesting past. I liked how the mangaka develops all the main characters equally, so that was a plus. But that's about it.
Enjoyment:
I am a girl, straight, so fanservice is really not that...ahh...appealing to me, but if you're a boy, then you'll definitely have more than one nosebleed in the course of reading this manga. HOWEVER, I definitely enjoyed the cooking aspect, and the mouthwatering dishes were drawn sooooo well. I like all the arcs so far, not a single boring or filler chapter, so enjoyment gets a 9 from me.
Overall:
A great, solid, manga, probably won't become a classic like Cardcaptor Sakura, Swan, Bleach, whatever, but still a highly enjoyable read. I recommend it to boys more (for the fanservice) but girls could read it too! And enjoy it as much. If you have read Yakitate Japan, then you'll probably like "Addicted to Curry." However, even if you haven't, If you like cooking and curry, then you'll definitely enjoy "Addicted to Curry."
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 19, 2008
"As The God of Death Dictates" is a very hard manga to review. It hides behind the shadow of Full Moon wo Sagashite, with which it shares a very similar plot...but after reading it, I have to say that I enjoyed this short manga very much, as much as I did Full Moon.
If you have ever read Full Moon, you will find "Dictates" very very similar to it, with less characters however. I thought that the storyline was not particularly original, but still quite enjoyable. The art is not particularly outstanding (I have seen better). However, Shiro-chan was drawn very well and I enjoyed the
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panels when he appeared. I wish all the characters were fleshed out a bit more though...I suppose that flat characters are inevitable when you have such a short manga.
Looking back at my own review, you'll probably wonder why on earth I gave it a 9 for enjoyment. Well, I have no idea why either, but when you read it yourself, somehow you will agree with me. Although "Dictates" is almost like a copy of Full Moon (but way shorter) it somehow stands alone on par with Full Moon. If you decide to give it a go, read it the whole way through - I guarantee you will want to stick around for the ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 18, 2008
Gokusen is a great manga, with a unique storyline and hilarious characters. However, it just. Isn't. Quite. There.
I will explain:
Story:
Gokusen has a unique storyline, with the Yankumi being the heir to a Yakuza clan and all. I love how in the early chapters she attempts to keep her yakuza heritage hidden while using her skills to protect her class. It is quite fun humour. However, a lot of the chapters are very similar in that they follows this pattern:
a) her students get themselves into some trouble.
b) Yankumi saves them.
This gets quite boring after a while and so a lot of the past chapters
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are not very memorable (however, some parts of the story are, so I am not saying that the whole story is not memorable- just some parts).
Art
This is Gokusen's Achilles heel. I nearly stopped reading it at the beginning due to the art which I thought was not very pretty, or attractive. However, it is clean, crisp, and easy to follow, so I suppose that is why I stuck to it. Then again, this IS a josei manga, so I didn't expect to see insanely beautiful bishounen or flowers popping up in every panel (cough, CLAMP, cough).
Character
I love the characters, especially Yankumi. While Yankumi can be quite dense and stubborn and oblivious to other people's feelings, she kicks butt and I LOVE how she can beat up thugs and then appear totally innocent about the whole thing. Also, it is very cute when she accidentally slips into "Yakuza mode" and has to cover it up by acting dumb or girlie.
Now onto Shin. While Shin's haircut ANNOYED ME TO DEATH at the beginning, I have gotten used to it and actually have grown quite fond of him. He is very cute when trying to cover up his feelings and when he blushes (which is RARE).
Enjoyment and Overall
I'll put these two together since they link closely together. I liked Gokusen very much; it is a very enjoyable josei manga. WHile the romance between them is downplayed, the relationship between Shin and Yankumi as student-teacher is one of the best out there. I have to give Gokusen an 8 because while the art is not one of the best I've ever seen, the premise of Gokusen is unique and memorable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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