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94/100

*vague spoilers*

Serial Experiments: Lain, similarly to Ghost in the Shell, explores the concept of memory and the implications of mating it with technology. In Ghost in the Shell this manifests in questions of self-hood and truth/deceit, but Lain takes it a step farther and applies it to spirituality and existence. The presentation is also drastically different and somewhat psychedelic, emphasizing the fickle nature of reality and the sensory information pertaining to it. The unique presentation also represents the uniqueness of the main character as well as her isolation from the rest of society. The plot does not become comprehensible until the ... conclusion of the series. Up until that point, it basically seems like an acid trip infused with conspiracy theories.

The first episode presents one of Lain's classmates who commits suicide in order to transfer her consciousness into The Wired. This provides a release from "the cumbersome limitations of physical existence" and allows her soul to transcend to a higher plane. The Wired, at this point, has become a highly advanced entity which, in addition to enticing physical creatures into its domain, can even interact with the physical world in various capacities. The extent of these capacities and the nature of their relationship is confidential government information and is seemingly controlled by the state. Eventually, human error accompanied with greed and vanity causes humanity to ultimately lose control of the technology. The result is a chaotic war over supremacy of reality/existence which results in a somewhat unsettling and mysterious conclusion.

The series follows Lain's perspective as she learns more about the world she lives in, her past, and her relationship with The Wired. Lain quickly begins to realize that she is not an ordinary girl and must battle with her feelings of uniqueness and uncertainty. When confronted with a choice, Lain decides to leap into the unknown and deal with whatever truth she finds.

In its conclusion, similarly to Akira, Serial Experiments: Lain addresses spirituality by beckoning the question of God and creation. It does so through demonstrating mankind's ability to both create and fabricate as well as to destroy and alter. Serial Experiments: Lain offers a fun psychedelic trip for the more groovy viewers while also offering an intricate and meaningful plot for the more analytic.

Haibane Renmei provides an account of the mystery of the "Haibane" that are born from eggs at various ages into colonies of other Haibane at an unknown, sealed location. The Haibane are born with virtually no memories except for their dream that is often remembered from the "incubation" period. The series follows one particular individual who is named Rakka at birth as she attempts to uncover her past life of which she vaguely recalls. The series explores the mystery of the lives of the Haibane as well as the association which governs their lives. It details the attempts to discover one's as well as one's ... to cope with loss and reconcile with one's mistakes while accepting their consequences. The series teaches the viewer how to honestly accept one's failures and misdeeds and to seek help outside of the self. It is both a story of redemption as well as self-discovery.

The beauty of the series lies in its presentation. Granted, this is also the main flaw in the series. Information about the world is very slowly developed through demonstration as the characters have limited knowledge about their world just as does the viewer. In this sense, the series evokes a realistic presentation, which is simultaneously unsettling due to the nature of the circumstances. The viewer finds it difficult to trust any of the information or characters being presented in a similar manner to how every individual must choose to trust the information being presented. The tone of the series provides a sense of something sinister being masked with a gentle smile that is slowly creeping up on you. And it does this through the use of innocent beauty. Beauty that is mysterious, foreign, and seemingly tranquil. The show accomplishes an eerie feel, but only does so through its slow pacing and failure to provide any third-person information to the viewer. This accomplishes something remarkable from a story-telling standpoint, but it also risks boring and off-putting many traditional viewers. In this sense, Haibane Renmei's strength is also its greatest flaw. It demands attention, care, and pateince from the viewer in order for the 13 episode experience to be truly profound and personal.

The actual Haibane Renmei organization which supports the Haibane's way of life operates almost entirely from the shadows only rarely providing a spokesperson from which the viewer can obtain information about the world and the fate of the characters. This is the aspect of the plot which requires the most careful scrutiny because not only is scarce information provided, but it is also somewhat cryptic. In fact, there is no possible definitive conclusion about the circumstances of the organization and the Haibane (the writer stated that the series has no incorrect interpretation) although it becomes quite apparent what is really going on if you really think about all the details it for a while (pm me if you want to talk theories).

In a more general sense, Haibane Renmei is a story about death and beauty, love and forgiveness, and ultimately redemption and salvation. The most grave of topics, boiled and condensed into a presentation with tranquil scenes of children playing in nature with classical music in accompaniment as a troubled Rakka has her heart set at ease, smiling upon them. It teaches us that no amount of worry or grief will enable us to overcome our obstacles and that true beauty lies in surrender and immersion into the unknowable, that we can only truly find ourselves when we look outside to others, and that finding peace with the universe is an individual journey which cannot be imparted to another.

I may have a person tendency towards philosophy, and this series certainly contains much to contemplate, but the more average viewer will find an emotional journey met with tragedy and struggle. The series will be able to meet you where you are at because it only provides you with the observation and leaves all implication to the viewer.

A subtle yet raw beauty.
93/100

As this entire entry exists only over the span of a few minutes, there is only so much to review. This special is the prologue with respect to the rest of the Nobunaga no Shinobi series. The series itself focuses mostly on humor and character interactions in order to provide its atmosphere, which it accomplishes extremely successfully considering it brevity. This special, however, goes in a different, more serious direction and focuses more specifically on plot than the rest of this series. I think this is helpful in understanding the series, because the characters sort of existed without explanation initially, but ... it was also less enjoyable than the original series, almost straying from its original mantra or appeal.

I give this special a (5/10).

It is nice to have the background information on the characters but the biggest flaw of the entire series is its brevity. I think it has the potential to be highly entertaining due to its wonderful characters and interactions but there just isn't much present to enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy it for five minutes once a week though. But then again, maybe its only good because its short, I guess the world may never know.

Angel's Egg is truly a piece of art. There is no correct or incorrect interpretation of what is presented. The experience is highly emotional and therefore very subjective to the viewer without any clear indication of what the viewer is to conclude from these emotions. There is a distinct contrast between reality and unreality as well as stark religious symbolism. It is, in essence, a commentary on the emotional journey of each individual through hardship and inquisition.

Story N/A
I can't rate this metric because the story is particularly irrelevant to the message of the film, but rather exists out of convenience.

Art (9/10)
For ... a movie made in 1985, some of the art is simply superb. The depiction of water, trees, and various other elements of the setting are extremely detailed and greatly contribute to the overall ambience. There are instances where the art is not spectacular, especially in the presentation of the characters. However, it only detracts from the presentation minimally.

Sound (10/10)
The foley effects as well as the soundtrack are superb and are most likely more necessary to the movie than the dialogue. Not only have I re-watched the movie multiple times now, but I have listened to the soundtrack even more times. It's absolutely gorgeous, ephemeral even.

Character (9/10)
The characters are barely developed. They exist not so much as characters, but rather as a representation. It is incumbent upon the viewer to determine what exactly each character represents to him/her. Having said this, they do present their position in the film quite assertively, accurately portraying their mentalities with respect to their world and holding steadfast in their personal views of reality.

Enjoyment (10/10)
This section is, of course, completely subjective due to the fact that enjoyment of this film is directly correlated to the extent to which the viewer allows him/herself to become immersed in the universe presented and determine its particular significance/meaning. I believe most viewers have a difficult time gathering any meaning from the film, and I know that I had some difficulty my first couple views as well; but the more I watch it, the more clear the depiction becomes. This meaning, I feel, is directly correlated to our own experiences in reality as it is an entirely emotional journey.

Overall (10/10)
This movie is a fantastic depiction of the psychological and more artistic and symbolical genre that exists in anime. I feel that, due to its brevity and stark depiction of this, it is a fantastic preview of the genre as a whole and is therefore very accessible to the common viewer. It is also accessible in the sense that there are no barriers to entry since any viewer can draw most any conclusion with confidence. It is not very often I encounter an anime whose entire message is constituted by the experience. This is both beautiful and unique.

Warning: contains light spoilers.

If I had to sum up Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann into one word, it would be ignorance. This is the message that the show preaches consistently, urging the viewer that they should abandon all thought and reason and fight for what they feel is right. This is the epitome of ignorance, blindly fighting for something that you don't completely understand and being content with knowing nothing. Multiple times throughout the show, the characters purposefully do stupid things in important moments in order to demonstrate that the will to survive matters more than making smart decisions. Don't get me ... wrong, this show is definitely good and this message isn't always a bad one, but in the specific context of this story, the characters are fighting to preserve humanity, when preservation of humanity literally results in the death of the universe eventually due to the spiral nemesis. This basically boils down to the following logic. I am fighting to save myself because I want to, and in doing so I am ultimately killing myself AND everything else that would have a chance of surviving if I wasn't doing this. So not only am I achieving the exact opposite of my only goal in the long run, but I am also dooming all other lifeforms that exist in this fictional universe for no reason at all.

This series repeatedly throws children at your face as it's main justification for taking over the universe. The desired thought process is, "look how cute and happy this kid is, humanity must be worth fighting for," *turns off brain and goes on killing rampage, ultimately dooming the universe.* In the shows defense, one could argue that humans are naive and ultimately, extremely ignorant. Thus, the show is attempting to convey this in a very extreme manner, but I really don't think that's the case as it's main message is "it doesn't matter if you don't understand something, be a man by screaming really loud with fiery passion and punching whatever feels like it needs punching." If this is the very foundation of humanity, then by God, this series has captured humanity's essence perfectly and I suppose that may very well be the case, sadly enough. It doesn't exactly leave me with a good taste in my mouth and for as much as I enjoyed the ride, the ending just completely dashed all of my hopes for the plot of this series.

Let me put it this way so it's easier to understand... Gurren Laggan preaches that grit, perseverance, and heart will allow you to keep on moving forward and achieve your goal. Through manly spirit and love you can conquer any task. In doing so, they're basically glorifying the mechanisms by which the goal is achieved, not the distinct goal itself since they don't even tell you the real goal until the end (other than the blanket statement of... fight the power!). These traits are not inherently good or bad, what makes them good or bad is what they are used to achieve. You will cheer on a warrior protecting his love interest by slaying foes that threaten her, because this action is good. But you will not cheer on a criminal as he craftily slinks his way away from the law all the while committing murder, rape, and abuse. Both of these actions require grit and perseverance; you don't see many hardened criminals who are wimps. I know, I know, I'm missing the point, right? They are fighting for humanity!!!!!! Well, humans are horrible sometimes, that's just the truth and renders the ultimate message as pretty meaningless, honestly. I'll say it is optimistic.

What is the result of all this? The result is that I find myself rooting for the villain. It is so blatantly obvious that you are supposed to hate the villain in this series and root for your gritty protagonists to succeed but to be blunt, taking into consideration the circumstances of this universe I would say that this "entity" is not only justified in doing what they did, but that I felt sympathy for them. Much like Rossiu, they did what needed to be done and everybody hated them for it. I guess that was technically another theme in this show. Hm... maybe it was deeper than I thought. Anyhow, anybody remotely rooting for your protagonist isn't going to see it that way, so I would just say the intent of the series has confused itself in that light. It's preaching one main message that is in direct contraction with another much less significant side message that is probably just supposed to reinforce the main one somehow?

I suppose the only remaining possibility is that Gurren Lagann is displaying the primal nature that lies within all of us and demonstrating that we will got to any means necessary in order to survive, even if it means our ultimate demise (analogy - a lion extincting its food source in an ecosystem by eating too fast or by some other form of ignorance). And this would make sense... except, once again all of the messages in this show revolve around valuing humanity, here's to you numerous imagines of crying children. So no explanation I can come up with really makes sense other than fight the power! Because all power is worth fighting, right? As long as I feel subjectively oppressed.

Story (4/10)
The story didn't really do anything. It is best described as a telegraphed journey that basically escalates until it self-destructs. It was fun, high-octane action but it didn't really have much substance. The space aspect was pretty cool and there was some decent sci-fi elements thrown in but the show would just make fun of them as being "stupid" immediately afterwards so... eh?

Art(8/10)
The art in this series was fantastic. There was a large amount of high speed animations that were very fluid. There is also a sense of grandiose present at all times in this series and I think that is one of the reason why it is so loved by many. Made me feel like a kid again.

Sound (7/10)
There's definitely some good tracks here, but they do get overplayed to the point of being annoying. Still generally enjoyable though, not too much to say here.

Character (10/10)
This section gets a 10 simply because of Kamina's existence. My. God. I will never meet a character like that again. Props to the character developer for this series, exceptional work. The large majority of the protagonists are extremely lovable and are handled with care. They are dynamic and grow from their experiences, the viewer gets to see a generation as well as a family develop, quite heartwarming. Granted, this family's entire existence is because of Kamina. <3

Enjoyment (7/10)
I definitely enjoyed this series. It was nonsense, but it was fun nonsense. For all of its flaws, it had heart and that is what really defines Kamina and team Gurren. If there's any non-conflicting message you can derive from this show by ignoring the plot, its Kamina is awesome and fun and you will follow him to the ends of the earth... or space?

Overall (7/10)
This series would have been absolutely fantastic if it had a real plot that synergized with its message and resulted in Kamina becoming GOD OF THE UNIVERSE... hey, a man can dream, right?

tl;dr...Texhnolyze is slow-paced, dark, satisfying, and beckons the question... what qualifies humanity?


Warning: The content of this series is extremely mature and can be jarring. Anybody who is overly sensitive towards violence, sex, nudity, and abuse, proceed with caution.

This series is one that is difficult to describe with words, granted I will do my best. This is because Texhnolyze is an experience. The meaning of this series is derived from the character's struggles and the ability, as the viewer, to experience their inner turmoil and search for purpose along with them. It delves deep into the core of the viewer and prompts ... the question: what is humanity? This work is riddled with symbolism and motifs and can be labeled as "artsy" by many and as such, can be quite off-putting to some (especially considering the pacing).

Story (9.7/10)
The plot of Texhnolyze is quite simplistic in all honesty despite the complexity of following the involved parties, however, the manner in which it is portrayed is absolutely phenomenal (I mean that in both senses of the word; get it? senses?). Human society has been driven underground and in order to survive and evolve, they have resorted to replacing lost body parts with machinery. This process is referred to as texhnolyzation and raffia is utilized as "fuel" for the texhnolyzation process. There are two echelons of society, the class and the citizens of Lux. Within Lux, there are three organizations which are notable, the Organo, the Racan, and the Union. The Organo is a band of basically political gang members whose primary goal is to preserve order in society and their own power. The Racan is a band of Texhnolyzed ruffians whose primary goal is to be a hindrance to whichever influential organization they deem to be corrupt at the time. Lastly, the Union is a group of Lux citizens whose primary goal is to fight against texhnolyzation in order to preserve humanity's purity. The series follows their interactions with one another as well as with the class and the society above ground. The pacing of the story is quite slow and some might argue that there is no story. However, this just simply is not the case as the characters are dynamic and most definitely evolve as the plot develops. I enjoyed the pacing, as it was exactly the correct speed to invoke realism and envelope the viewer in the fictional world. Do no expect a happy go-lucky carefree story; the substance of the story is dark, serious, and extremely mature. The ending is satisfying and there is a large amount of replay value.

Art (9.8/10)
I am no expert on early 2000's anime art quality, but I can say that I highly enjoyed the art in this series. There seemed to be a tremendous amount of effort put into the backgrounds, settings, and the character's surroundings. The characters were not exceptionally astounding with the exception of their eyes. The eyes were not only realistic, unlike most anime, but also quite beautiful. This is done purposefully, in my opinion, in order to portray the essence of humanity in all of its organic beauty, in contrast to the lifeless machinery elsewhere in their body or in their world. The settings determine the mood of the series and there is a distinct difference in mood between above ground and below ground. The most important aspect to me is that the art portrays the raw emotion present in the series quite flawlessly throughout.

Sound (10/10)
There are many times during this series where there is little dialogue. This results in a large dependency on sound effects, music, and ambient noise. If there is any area where texhnolyze is effective, it is most definitely the sound. All three of these areas, I would argue, do not add to the mood or the feeling of the story, but rather dictate and establish them. It is through these mediums that we come to know the characters and truly feel what they are experiencing. This is most obvious in the ambient noise present when the viewer experiences the direct perspective of a texhnolyzed individual as there are distinct ambient noises constantly present in that individual's perception. This is something that cannot effectively be communicated, but must be experienced. There are few forms of expression more raw, honest, and pervasive than music. It is a veritable painting for the ears.

Character (9.5/10)
Each and every character is given special care. The writers wanted to understand their experiences and motivations for all of their actions, and as such their presentation to the viewer is, once again, raw. There is little that can be assigned as arbitrary, unless, of course, you decide the entire story is arbitrary. Practically each character is relatable in one way or another and it doesn't feel as though they are confined by the traditional archetypes of storytelling, which is a primary factor in achieving the level of realism present in this series. Each character has to decide what they want to live for, their resolution towards achieving their goals, and ultimately, at what point has their spirit been broken.
[Also, can I just say how happy I was that the men in this show do not fawn over women and chase them blindly, but rather evaluate their worth based on their character...]

Enjoyment (9.4/10)
Enjoyment of this show is a funny thing to rate because it is not really meant to be enjoyed, it is meant to be appreciated and understood... experienced, if you will (excuse my constant use of the term). Instead of saying I enjoyed this series, I would rather say I was satisfied with it. Enjoyment gets the lowest rating of all categories for me simply because it is almost impossible to truly "enjoy" this show unless you are a psychopath. This makes it a large barrier for most viewers and even though compomrising this aspect would be largely compromising to all aspects of the experience, it is a pill that is difficult to swallow.

Overall (9.7/10)
The best anime I have seen to date.

For anybody desiring a more in-depth thematic analysis I plan on writing one and posting it on my profile.

Death Note is definitely worth your time. This is true if you are completely new to anime or if you're a seasoned veteran (in which case you've probably already seen it). It follows Light Yagami, a teenager who happens to find a magical notebook dropped by a God of Death which grants the user the ability to kill a human by writing their name while mentally visualizing their face. Light decides that he wants utilize his newfound power to rid the world of those he finds to be evil or detrimental to society. Death Note follows Light's interactions with the authorities as ... he attempts to become the "god" of a new world.

Story (9/10)
The story is quite intricate at times and can best be described as a battle of wits. Practically every action taken by a protaganist/antagonist (however you define them) is meticulously planned and thought out. The story can be compared to a game of chess, but unlike chess, both players do not have perfect information, making their positions much more interesting and complex. The one and only qualm I have with Death Note, however, is the ending of the story. Despite the ending being logical and inevitable, it is oddly unsatisfying. Mainly due to the fact that the viewer is not entirely sure if the information that the characters portray about the ending is indeed accurate. We are given an explanation of occurrences by one of the characters, but we do not actually know if what they're telling us is completely accurate. This has lead to various theories and does leave an air of mystery surrounding what actually happened.

Art (9.8/10)
I absolutely love the art style in Death Note. It does not fall prey to incessant fan service but actually takes the opposite approach and pours an exorbitant amount of detail in more mundane clothing and objects, such as suits and pencils. Additionally, the characters are all very unique visually and easily recognizable. The manga had a dedicated artist and a dedicated writer, which I believe was quite uncommon at the time. I haven't kept up with manga trends recently, but it does serve to illustrate the fact the a lot of effort went into the art as well as the story.

Sound (9/10)
I am rarely impressed by soundtracks, but this one is fantastic. Madhouse has an uncanny ability to make even the most mundane tasks or events seem absolutely epic and this is achieved largely through the soundtrack. However, there is one specific track that tends to play in the background during the more intellectual moments or during a character's scheming/planning. It's certainly not a bad track and it's quite fitting, but it does start to stand out after a while. Also, can we give a standing ovation for Mamoru Miyano's voice acting? Absolutely stunning. I recommend that you watch the sub, for that experience alone.

Characters (10/10)
Death Note houses a wide variety of characters whose personalities all contrast each other. There is the visionary narcissist, the paragon of justice,the awkward yet genuine loner, the love-smitten loose cannon, the dedicated disciple, the no holds barred criminal, the calm and rational analyst, and lastly, the neutral observer. Among all of these personalities, there has to be at least one that the viewer can relate to, right?

Enjoyment (9.5/10)
This show is just a thrilling ride. Even if some of the battles are just mental battles, they are being played not only with the participant's lives on the line, but also the lives of many others. When faced with death, one's true character shows itself. Many of the characters are lovable and many are easy to hate. I enjoyed myself simply rooting for certain characters to die or survive.

Overall (9.5/10)
The only way that somebody could not like any aspect of this show is if they think its ugly and they hate thinking. There's something here for almost everybody in addition to raising some pretty serious and legitimate philosophical questions. Should we be able to kill people who have demonstrated a lack of respect for others through mass murder, serial rape, etc. Is it okay for a citizen to take the law into his own hands when the government fails him? These are generally the types of questions that make people uncomfortable because there is some legitimate consideration. It's just a classic that I recommend to anybody interested in anime.

This series is extremely unique and appeals to a very specific set of philosophies/mentalities that I think may not be best portrayed through the anime medium. Additionally, it can be very brutal with its depiction of certain elements of the story. Anybody who is uncomfortable with extreme situations or mentalities will most not likely not enjoy this show at all.

There seems to be a general consensus concerning this show that it was either misguided, not captivating, or generally lacking in any concrete merit. The source of this dissatisfaction seems to come primarily from the mystery genre to which it has ... been assigned. This show most certainly does not fall within the ordinary realm of the mystery genre. More so, it is an examination of the philosophies and psychologies of the characters involved in such scenarios. This is exemplified through extremes in order to more vividly portray the message, resulting in a more artistic outcome, as opposed to a more logical and puzzle-like approach one would expect from a mystery story.

The story is also very unique and incorporates a quasi-intellectual background to some extent as it directly references Laplace's demon. This is necessary for fully understanding the computer formula constructed that is integral to the plot. Anybody who is put off by intellectual or philosophical concepts will therefore find it difficult to become emotionally invested in such things or the characters related to them.

It also must be stated that this series is quite bloody and grotesque at times, revealing the hideous nature that lies within humanity as well as the acts which result from it. One example of this is a man who kidnapping little girls, pretending they were his children and burying them in concrete if they didn't accurately play the role of daughters.

The characters themselves are the shining light of this series and the main source of my enjoyment. The viewer is taken on a journey through various criminal acts and is exposed directly to the motivations and mindsets of the criminals in a very personal and emotional manner. I must admit, however, that they can be quite enigmatic at times and they are not always portrayed seriously either.

This series tackles big themes such as the nihility of man and the search for purpose, the best example of this being kobayashi's innocence and blatant disregard for any significance associated with death. I would describe it as being kafka-esque , once again, a quite niche genre within the anime community. In order to reinforce this message, there are often glimpses of happiness and hope thrown in matter-of-fact, seemingly as if they were arbitrary. This arbitrary nature, I would argue, is intentional, and serves to illustrate an existentialist perspective. The character's hopes and happiness are short-lived and despair, failure, or loss are the ultimate result. No character ever truly recognizes their goals or is completely satisfied with their current position in life. To think such things to be possible would be purely fantastical or fictional! This series quite accurately depicts reality from a philosophical perspective and borders on fantastical realism, yet another characteristic of Kafka. However, in spite of loss, despair, and failure, as humans we are forced to live on and perservere. In order to do this, we must make peace with ourselves, our situation, and our past. I feel this is the ultimate message of Ranpo Kitan. It provides a sense of ephemeral curiosity and serene acceptance in the face of death.

The ending of this series was well done and significantly increased my opinion of the series as well as provided a feeling of profound satisfaction that I rarely receive from conclusions of anime series. I do believe enjoyment of the series is highly dependent upon the viewer's mindset and their reluctance or acceptance towards existentialist concepts. As such, if you don't enjoy this show, it may not be up your alley, so to speak.