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May 24, 2020
“The noblest revenge is to forgive” — Thomas Fuller
91 Days is a lot of things. It is a story about familial love, ambition, greed, betrayal, conviction, internal conflict and, ultimately, revenge. But predictable it is not.
This article can be found in video format: https://youtu.be/YnuyRV2gzDc
Premise and the protagonists: Angelo Lagusa, (who will be referred to as Avilio Bruno henceforth because that’s the pseudonym he chooses to go by for a better part of the series) — is our protagonist who goes through the pain of losing his family at a young age. And that’s because they all get murdered in front of his eyes. He survived
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that night, but his will to live surely didn’t. Since then, all he’s done is listlessly spend his living moments away surviving as a empty husk. That is, until the day he receives a letter. A letter that lights a fire within him — one that tells him where to direct the hatred that’s slowly but surely been festering within him all this time. The Vanetti. They are the people who destroyed his life and now it is time for Avilio to pay them back several fold.
And that’s where the second main character of the show comes into the picture. Nero Vanetti. Nero is the charismatic scion of the Vanetti family. He’s the brash guy who does what he likes and is carefree for the most part. But the one thing that he values above all is the pride of his family. The Vanetti family. All of his actions are dictated by his personal code of placing the “family” before everything else. As long as it helps uphold the family name, nothing is off limits. He will do anything for his family.
Story: This is a story about Avilio’s revenge. But it is also a story about Nero and his core principle of placing the Vanetti name above all. As such, while we do see the story through Avilio’s eyes for the most part, Nero also acts as a second protagonist throughout the rest of the series.
91 Days is the story of how the fates of these two young men intertwine to create an interesting yet brutal crime drama set in the prohibition era of the 1930s where booze is gold and violent mafia clashes are the norm. The Vanettis, the Orcos and the Galassias are the big Mafia families in this story, and most of the revenge plot here is centered not just around the two primary characters, but also the internal politics between these three big powers.
But yes, I called 91 Days “interesting” because it isn’t often that you get anime set in a specific time period, let alone stick to realism and be free of any kind of supernatural influence. There’s a general lack of typical japanese anime humor and a complete lack of any kind of fanservice and that really makes this a breath of fresh air compared to most series out there. This series sticks to its guns about strictly adhering to realism as much as it possibly can throughout the entirety of its run.
Well, except one character. But we can focus on him when we get to the characters. Anyway, getting back to the story, I think I’d say that overall it is pretty good. Due to the combination of the setting and the characters’ ambitions that stem from multiple factors like familial love, greed and revenge, death isn’t really uncommon in this story. But death certainly isn’t meaningless here. The anime manages to do a really good job of getting us acquainted with the state of mind of its characters — that is, by having us know and understand what makes them tick, what matters to them and so on. It is precisely because of this that a lot of those deaths actually become a lot more impactful than they usually would.
I’ve already covered how the world and the tone of the anime feels realistic, but it would be incomplete without possessing characters that feel like they belong in it.
Characters: The two main characters, Avilio and Nero, are fleshed out relatively well. They live and die for their ideals and can do anything for it. We’ve already established that. But what about the rest of the cast? Are they given the kind of care in their writing that these two here did? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes for most of the important ones. Corteo, Avilio’s childhood friend, is a complete 180 shift from Avilio at first glance. He’s not assertive, he doesn’t seem to have a knack for coming up with manipulative plans like his buddy does and nor does he seem like he has any conviction that drives him as a person. But as the story goes on, you get to see more of him — when the time really comes for his character to shine, he makes it clear that he’s not a prop for the other characters. He has his own moral code and reasons that drive him. That’s really what makes his character realistic. Which holds true for the large majority of the remainder of the cast except one. Okay, let’s talk about him.
Fango. Fango is an anomaly. He doesn’t really gel well with the rest of the world of 91 Days for being a bit too cray-cray. You could always chalk it up as him being one of the psychopaths from among the prohibition era’s society, which he most definitely is, but he still feels relatively out of place among the rest of the cast. He just feels more like your average crazy anime guy who has been put in there just to spice things up a bit and add a layer of unpredictability to the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really complaining — his voice actor, Kenjirou Tsuda, does such a terrific job at voicing him that I just can’t help but think Fango as a whole was an asset to the show rather than acting like a detrimental factor. But I kiiinda had to bring him up, y’know, because he’s just that crazy.
I think that more or less sums up what I had to say about the cast. But with that out of the way, let’s talk production values and voice acting.
Production Values: 91 Days started off looking really good. I was actually really surprised by how sharp the visuals were and how the characters almost always stayed on-model. But as is the case with a lot of anime out there, the series dips a bit in the quality of its art and animation a bit towards the middle and never really recovers to reach the heights established in terms of its visuals in the initial episodes. That’s not to say it ever looks ugly, but just not as consistently beautiful as it did before. Studio Shuka, nevertheless, deserves props for delivering for the most part.
As for the soundtrack, hmm. I’m not sure if there’s anything that has really stuck with me after finishing it with the exception of the main theme. But whether or not you can listen to the soundtrack on its own separate from the series is just a bonus, it really isn’t the main factor to decide whether or not the ost was good. What matters the most is whether or not it compliments the show — and that is something it manages to excel at. I have to give the composer, Shōgo Kaida, massive props for coming up with a soundtrack that really fits the tone and setting of the show to the T. And not just the soundtrack, the audio engineering in general is exceptional here. There are many scenes that have stuck around in my head since I finished it and most of them can be attributed to exceptional choice of music and really good mixing on the sound effects. Definitely a job well done in my opinion.
Also, before I move on to the conclusion, I’d really like to bring notice to the exceptional voice acting in this anime. Almost everyone’s performance is excellent here, but the voice actors for Nero, Avilio and Fango are exceptional in this series. Fango in general is the best, but Nero’s and Avilio’s VA work in the final batch of episodes was something else.
Conclusion: 91 Days is a really good anime. It is a tragic story that primarily deals with this one single question — whether revenge can really be the sole sustainable reason for the existence of a person. It reaches that answer by presenting us with the story of two characters who parallel each other a lot but whose reason for existence lie at the opposite ends of the spectrum — one seeks to protect while the other seeks to destroy. Whether or not you agree with the answer it presents you with, you gotta admit it does a damn fine job at telling its story and presenting its ideas to you. It does that with little to no problems in its pacing while looking and sounding really good for the most part. And for that, I believe 91 Days deserves your attention.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 3, 2020
A video review can be found here: https://youtu.be/eBWFquXmpgI
What would you do if you got stuck in time for 3700 years and wake up to a post-apocalyptic world that resembles the stone age with humans no longer being at the top of the food chain? No electricity, no easily available food, no internet, no smartphones et cetra. All of life’s luxuries taken away from you replaced with the brutal rawness of mother nature’s bosom.
If your answer is to, err, panic while you desperately try to maintain your sanity in the absolute hellish circumstance you’ve found yourself in. And then, once you’ve overcome that mental barrier, try
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to think of ways to survive in this wild world, then yeah, that’s probably what most would do. What you wouldn’t think of doing is to embark on a journey towards the utilization of science to rapidly blitz through the entire timeline of human evolution and take stone age humans to modern age in one lifetime. I think it is safe to say none of us is gonna be that ambitious considering the situation. But then again, that’s exactly why we’re not the protagonists of a shounen series either.
Today I’m covering Dr. Stone — a series that makes you truly appreciate what a momentous achievement it was for the human civilization when Edison lit up the first light bulb — yes, it truly made me stare in awe at the light bulb I just switched on a while ago. ;)
No but seriously, that brief tidbit of information I just dropped? That’s the hook. That’s what makes this anime unique— it makes you really appreciate the insane amount of work that went into the creation of these articles you use on a daily basis and probably take for granted — everything that you see around you is a byproduct of steady evolution that took place over the course of millions of years. To blitz through all that time and achieve crude, yet functional implementations of modern-day equivalents of these items while under the constraints of being limited to stone-age era resources — you’ve got a formula for something truly exciting. And Dr. Stone knows that.
The series always knew that — which is why it eventually focuses purely on Senku’s scientific revolution and race to modern civilization— with the key word being eventually. Because it doesn’t get to it right from the get go. And that’s the only negative — it takes a while to set things up. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t like the first 6 episodes or so are bad or anything — its just that they pale in comparison to the stuff that comes later. I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the series till I hit episode 7. While having a relatively slow start is usually fine, taking almost 6 episodes out of a 24 episode series to get there is a little bit on the slower side and there’s a very good chance a lot of potential audience may just tune off before they reach that point. There’s no dearth of entertainment in this day and age, after all. Why would you bother to stick to a relatively slow paced series set in the stone age when you can, say, immerse yourself in a post-apocalyptic world in The Last of Us (especially with the Last of Us II coming soon) or experience the supernatural world of vampires and witchers in Castlevania and The Witcher, respectively?
Because when it gets going, it goes pretty goddamn hard. While you’re not being thrown plot twists every single episode and the relative pace of the anime still stays the same, the shift to focusing purely on the scientific inventions marks a stark improvement in the general quality of the series. I’ve tried to emphasize it before, and I’ll try my best again — there’s literally nothing else out there that can make you feel what Dr. Stone does simply by the virtue of its unique setting. By just letting you see primitive humans react to the wonders of science and be completely blown away by the sheer utility that each single advancement brings to the table, Dr. Stone really does effortlessly carve its own niche among the rest of the shounen series out there.
Just in case you’re wondering though, it is 10 billion percent for good reason that I focused so much on the primary hook and nothing else for a majority of the time I spent on this article/review. Because every other aspect just acts as seasonings and spices to the main dish — the science, and the excitement of seeing things get created from scratch. We can discuss how it doesn’t reach the heights of series like Attack on Titan when it comes to its soundtrack (although it is pretty fucking good) or how it is, visually speaking, nothing to write home about. Or about how the characters aren’t deep or complex enough.
All of that, at the end of the day, is fine because Season 1 acts as a setup for a much grander tale. But even if that were not the case and this is all we ever got — the main dish here, as an independent entity, is as delectable as they come. It is a solid series that any science nut should most definitely watch. And even if you’re not one, chances are that you’re still gonna have a great time with it. All said and done, this is how you’ll probably end up feeling about this series — “Sosoruze, Kore wa” (This is Exhilarating).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 28, 2015
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai is a decent anime. If its brand of comedy appeals to you, you'll end up having a fun time with it. If not, it'll end up being a disappointingly empty experience for you.
First off, if you're thinking of giving this one a go, you have to be ready to expect these:
• Ecchi content (well, duh)
• Vulgar Jokes
• Slapstick Comedy
• Lack of any meaningful character development
• A very bare-bones story
This anime follows the shenanigans of the members from the 'Neighbours Club' that is composed of social outcasts - loners who can't make friends due to one reason or
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the other. So they all get together to learn how to make friends and engage in activities that "popular people" (read regular people) probably do with their friends. The setting is basically an excuse to bring together a bunch of colorful characters based on different character archetypes and come up with gags based on their personalities. Follows a very Slice of Life-like episodic comedy routine that doesn't vary in episode structure from one episode to another.
The characters themselves are one-dimensional but they're characterized fairly well. I don't quite think they're as well realized and likeable as some of the reviews on the internet make them out to be but they're okay and serve their purpose well in entertaining you through most of its runtime. There's the awkward MC who scares regular people away but is awfully popular with some really beautiful but equally socially awkward females, the headstrong tsundere female MC, the busty blonde who is dumb but still the most intelligent girl in her class, MC's imouto who likes to role-play a character from an anime, the 10 year old church nun cum club advisor (uhh, yeah) and the perverted sex-obsessed genius scientist girl. Oh, and a trap. With a cast as colorful as this one assembled under one roof, their daily lives definitely do make for an entertaining ride. There's no overarching story at play here apart from the MC's realtionship with his childhood friend - but that definitely isn't the focus of the series since it is rarely mentioned.
The comedy itself is fairly standard for your run-of-the-mill harem comedy series. I personally ended up laughing a few times during some of the episodes but, owing to the nature of 'comedy' as a genre, your mileage may definitely vary. If the comedy on display in this series doesn't end up appealing to you in the first four episodes or so, you can safely drop it and move on to greener pastures since things stay more or less the same from then onwards with an odd character introduction or two.
Production values in general are above average. Art is good and you probably won't notice moments of off-model art. It doesn't possess any sequence of standout animation and, looking at the kind of anime it is, it doesn't really need to. OST is fairly generic but fits the series and complements scenes well. The OP and the ED both deserve a special mention here - former is a very fitting track for the series due to the fact that it emphaises the silly nature of the show very well while the latter is a catchy track that managed to stay long with me after I had finished the anime and I found myself humming it from time to time.
All in all, definitely worth a single watch if you're looking for a fun show with a decent amount of ecchi moments thrown in. Just don't go in expecting any depth and you'll probably have fun with it.
https://vclyfe.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/haganai-review/
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 25, 2015
After successfully throwing people off with its awfully deceptive opening that makes you think otherwise, this show brings forth nothing but serious themes and questions. It is, in essence, a case study on the depths of humanity’s dark hearts. As such, labelling it as a series with “loosely connected episodes containing nothing but death-games” would be a rather large disservice to it – despite the fact that the statement isn’t necessarily a lie.
Human beings are selfish creatures by nature. By pushing them to the limit – to the doors of death – you can see them unleash their ugly side. That’s the concept utilized
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by the “arbiters” – the people who judge you during these trials by them and based on your actions either sentence you to “nothingness” or “reincarnation”. If only things were as simple as that, though, then the show wouldn’t be as interesting as it is. There are various instances where you’d be presented with cases where everything’s been painted in different shades of grey. You wouldn’t know who to side with – empathize with the person who did the “right” thing but ended up going against something you’d consider the “humane” thing to do as per your conscience? Or side with the guy whose situation you clearly empathize with but has clearly done something wrong? But then again, what if whatever you're thinking is probably the farthest thing from the truth and you're wrong about the characters, their motivations and your judgement regarding their "deeds"? It just makes you question and does it perfectly without coming off as obnoxiously vague.
The episodes are structured in such a way that it keeps things from feeling repetitive and redundant. Had a super serious and super depressing episode? The next one would probably be a little more on the light side and would show the brighter side of human beings. And just when you’re about to think that it’ll stay fully episodic till the end, it throws an arc that spans multiple episodes at you. So on and so forth. It definitely knows how to keep itself from going stale – rest assured, there’s enough variety in the games to keep things from feeling same-y.
With all that said, one aspect where Death Parade falters a bit is its usage of characters. It tries to do quite a lot in the short span of time it possesses and succeeds to a degree with a few characters but a large part of the cast just don’t get enough attention for them to develop into something substantial. Which is a shame since they definitely do not lack as far as characterization is concerned – they’re a colorful bunch who definitely would’ve benefited from just a little more time in the spotlight.
The art is consistent and animation is fluid. OST serves its purpose well. Madhouse definitely didn’t slack off as far as production values of the show is concerned. It, simply put, looks and sounds really good. Both the opening as well as the ending song deserve a mention – they’re both fantastic tracks.
All in all, Death Parade isn’t a show to be missed. It is a flawed gem that you don’t often come across. If it wasn’t on your radar till now, I hope this review changed things for you.
Overall - 7.6 ~ 8.0
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 4, 2015
When asked whether or not I'm a KyoAni fan, I'd always say that I'm more or less indifferent towards them. They've got their works which I absolutely adore (Clannad, Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya) and then there are those that I can't say I'm a big fan of (K-On! comes to mind). After enjoying Amagi Brilliant Park immensely, I came to Hyouka as their next work on my to-watch list. And "color me" extremely impressed. I don't think I'll have issues with calling myself a KyoAni fan anymore.
Here's one thing Hyouka manages to do right off the bat - get me interested in the shenanigans of
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school-going kids and their curious adventures in the domain of unknown. Usually, it'd take a lot longer for me to get invested in these characters and their adventures, maybe 3-4 episodes into the series or even more, but thanks to the extremely likable characters, things become a lot easier. The main character, a lazy slob with his motto in life being modeled around the law of conservation of energy, is a lead well done due to the fact that he's not exactly a cardboard cutout like a lot of protagonists these days seem to be. His actions, at least initially, are dictated by his energy conservation principle - he weighs in all the alternatives to settle on the one which requires least expenditure of energy. His development as a character is handled pretty well with the catalyst being none other than the female lead - Chitanda Eru, a cute but highly curious character. Her curiosity knows no bounds and she often ends up dragging Oreki, our protag, into matters that he'd rather stay away from. The mysteries that are dealt with in this show are often the product of our lovely Chitanda getting all curious about something that takes place in their everyday life and our gang that comprises of two more characters, who are nicely handled for the most part, going about finding a solution to the said mystery. Now, a "mystery" that is a product of curiosity regarding something that can happen in your normal everyday life doesn't exactly seem like an exciting prospect. At least, it didn't to me when I was thinking of getting into this series. But it'll suffice to say that they manage to pull it off somehow - making the mysteries sufficiently interesting so as to make the viewer curious enough to keep them watching -episode after episode. The show definitely does deserve credit for that.
The story itself is like a loosely tied bunch of short arcs and standalone episodes. We're dealing with a KyoAni show, you know? But they're well done. The "arcs" got me invested and the standalone episodes had some good content. And each episode feels like it amounted to something so you don't come out of any episode feeling like you've just wasted the past twenty or so minutes of your life watching something that doesn't hold any weight. I'd advise against going into it expecting it to be a tightly strung story because it doesn't possess that. But the "stories" that it showcases, of our protagonists' lives, are well done and you'd probably have a nice time sitting through 'em.
Extremely appealing to the eyes and extravagantly detailed backgrounds - they've long been KyoAni staples. And it is great to see they do not disappoint in Hyouka, either. Every single frame has been given careful attention and they look exquisitely beautiful. The last episode, or more specifically the closing sequence, was nothing short of stunning as far as visual presentation goes, for instance. Character animation, in particular, is extremely fluid and just fantastic all across the board. They do not disappoint as far as the OST or the music goes, either. Should suffice to say that the OST used is very fitting and compliments each scene very well. Would like to specifically mention the first OP - 'twas catchy as hell.
Hyouka isn't groundbreaking. It isn't anything close to being a masterpiece. But it definitely isn't an experience I'd rather miss. A neatly done package with great animation, likable characters, stories that manage to stay intriguing throughout its run and a healthy dose of Chitanda's "Watashi...kiminarimasu!" make it a pretty good watch.
Recommended watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 9, 2014
I expected it to take me on an entertaining ride. On an action-packed, fun-filled journey with romantic elements between the leads acting as spice to further enhance the flavor of the story. Would it be correct to say that it succeeded in proving itself worth my time? That it satiated my expectations?
Yes, it did. It did that and much more. Oh so much more. Some elucidation is in order, yes? Elucidate I shall -
Katanagatari is a story about swords. Contrary to what most people would think by reading the synopsis or watching the pilot episode, this isn’t a journey about collection of the swords but
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rather the focal point of the story is our main lead – a sword – Yasuri Shichika. It is his journey – a journey which shapes him; which showcases his metamorphosis from a sword devoid of emotions and feelings acting on the mercy of their master to an individual, a human being, capable of inhabiting emotions and expressing his feelings as a person.
It would’ve failed as a story if it didn’t possess a likeable cast. For a character-centered story to work, it is very important to make the character in question likeable. Which this anime manages to do quite well. He may seem like a caricature – a cardboard cut-out and a character as bland as he can be; in the beginning, at least. But the story intends for that to be the case. He is a sword, after all, and not a human being. Over the course of the story, he develops into a character. And the development feels organic and not very out of place. Togame, the other main character in this story, is the loud-mouthed female lead. She may seem like any regular protagonist or love interest that you’d find in any generic anime but that’s not really the case considering the fact that her character possesses layers – layers that only become visible over time. And which add up to make her a suitably complex character. The majority of the cast, other than these two, are secondary and episodic characters in nature. Needless to say, they don’t get to develop as characters as much as our main lead does – but that is irrelevant in the end because they merely serve as a means to further enhance the development of our lead. Their strong characterization and distinct persona help them build a strong first impression, no matter how insignificant they may be, and, as a result, they end up being memorable to a degree despite the minuscule screen-time some of them may get.
A story possessing likeable leads and sufficiently distinct secondary characters won’t mean much if the story itself didn’t pack a punch – which, thankfully, isn’t the case here. The overall story of Katanagatari is pretty strong. It packs in quite a bit of content in its 12 episode run, partially owing to its unique episode length, and it deals with themes like revenge, cursed fate and asks you questions about what it means to possess resolve, what is the reason behind people engaging in the act of war, what it means to follow your true objective – how you may have to discard all of your objectives to succeed in fulfilling your one true objective; all the while making commentary on things like correct and altered history – stuff that ties into the overarching story. Also, do not be fooled by its colorful visuals – it is a story possessing plenty of dark stuff. A good deal of the content on showcase here can be taken to attribute the show to possess nihilistic views. Some may argue against it and consider this story, at its core, a celebration of life itself but that’s a subjective view which may vary from person to person. Regardless, content-wise it delivers.
But a good story with shoddy execution ultimately ends up as nothing but a messy bundle of plot-threads. As a result, the question is – does the execution front fail? Nope.
The story is told in an episodic fashion. And each episode consists of the characters engaging in conversations which eat up a majority of the episode length. This may be an action anime but all of the action in the show merely crops up for about 5 minutes per episode at the very end. This would spell disaster for most shows. It works here because the dialogue has been given a lot of attention – none of it is irrelevant or inconsequential. It may serve to fill the viewer in on the personality or motivations of a specific character at one instance or may act as a means to foreshadow future events in a subtle manner. As a result, you won’t even notice that you’d watched an anime with 90% dialogue and 10% action well after you’ve finished it. That’s what happened with me. THAT is how well done it is. Due to that, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this show even to people who prefer action over talks – the same cannot be said of similar shows like Bakemonogatari and the like (other creations by the same author, Nisio Isin). But that’s enough of a digression.
With story and characters out of the way, it is time to discuss the presentation and the production values of the show. The only word that comes to my mind when I think about the visuals in this show is – gorgeous. The art style is definitely unique and may not be everybody’s cup of tea but it fits the story very well. Highly detailed vistas and intricately designed backgrounds are to be found aplenty in this anime. The character designs are highly distinct and they all stand out a lot from the generic characters that you’d normally see in any anime. Their designs reflect their personality perfectly – as a result, just their mere appearance can tell you a lot about the kind of character that they are. A good move on the part of the production team considering the fact that most of the characters in question are episodic in nature, and, as a result, do not get significant screen time over the course of the story. Adding shades to their personality via colorful characterization is something this anime does really well as has been mentioned multiple times during the course of this review.
Soundtrack is another aspect of this show where they hit the nail right on the head. They’ve nailed it – the anime boasts a good number of memorable soundtracks and they’ve been used exquisitely to further enhance the atmosphere of any scene in the anime. If it weren’t for the excellent soundtrack, this anime would’ve lost a great deal of its atmosphere and its charm.
All in all, Katanagatari is well worth your time. It deserves multiple watches, in fact, since some details may slip by your eye during the first watch (as it did in my case). A nicely written story possessing likeable characters, gorgeous visuals and an amazing soundtrack – all in all, it is a fantastic package that should satiate your hunger for a well-crafted fantasy tale for some time and may even end up as one of your favorites. Like it very well did in my case.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 15, 2014
Whether or not you possess the capacity to stomach over-the-top dialogues, scenes and atmosphere in a show is a decisive factor when it comes to what you’d ultimately feel about Kill la Kill when you watch it. It is a really fun show for those that can stomach OTT stuff. On the other hand, it is a cringe-worthy ride for those that can’t. The first episode starts off with our protagonist, Ryuko Matoi, challenging the Student Council president Kiryuin Satsuki holding a giant blade that is apparently one half of what makes a huge pair of scissors. That, my friend, in itself is enough to
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give you an idea as to how ridiculous this show is. If ridiculous isn’t your cup of tea then you ought to stay away from this series. Oh, and then there’s the fact that almost every single episode consists of scantily clad girls fighting it out with each other. If you can’t stand some skin, please walk away from this series. Because you will see a lot of skin. Both female and male fanservice is present in this show in spades.
Kill la Kill is brought to you by studio Trigger. The people who brought us Little Witch Academia and Inferno Cop. And these are the same guys who worked on TTGL. With a good number of people who put this on their watch list being aware of it being made by those that made TTGL, they’re obviously bound to have a few expectations. The over-the-top atmosphere and the similar art styles the shows share don’t help, either. But, ultimately, they’re different shows. And thus should be judged differently. That’s enough about TTGL, though. Let’s get on to the categories I’ll cover in this review -
This review will be divided into the following sections:
1. Art & Animation
2. Soundtrack
3. Characters
4. Story
----Art & Animation----
This show’s art style is a far cry from the typical art style most anime these days possess. It is much more cartoon-ish in nature in comparison. But that doesn’t mean it is a negative point against the show at all. In fact, the show plays it to its strength by using the potential of a cartoon-ish art style to its fullest – the highly exaggerated scenes, as a result, prove to be far more effective than they’d be under normal circumstances. As a result, the art style is definitely something that fits the show to a ‘t’ and compliments its OTT nature greatly. It is a definite 9/10.
The same, however, cannot be said for the animation. Kill la Kill was made under a tight budget and, as such, there have been plenty of instances in the show where the creators had to cut corners. They try to minimize animation during the non-action scenes and generally put all the budget into the action scenes. As a result, there’s an immense amount of variation in the animation quality throughout the series. There are fights like the ones in episode 3 that look brilliant and are very fluid and well choreographed. And then there are scenes where you’d feel like you’re looking at a bunch of slides with a few moving parts. The show DOES, however, deserve a pat on the back to actually try and use its limited budget to its fullest – a lot of times they use limited frames in comedy scenes to hilarious effect. In fact, there’s a character in this show whose movements almost always comprise of ridiculous paper-like movements that consist of minimal movement in terms of frames. It doesn’t look fluid in the least but it somehow fits. You’d understand if you see it for yourself.
That said, since the show doesn’t actually possess terrific animation throughout, I’ll have to lower its score in this category a bit. It gets a 6.5/10 for its animation.
----Soundtrack----
I don’t really need to speak much when it comes to its sountrack. I’m personally a big fan and I think its OST was downright amazing. Character themes fit and the background OST is almost never off the mark. A definite 10/10 on this front.
----Characters----
They’re all fairly good with a decent amount of backstory – a sufficient amount which is JUST right. The characters that stand out are definitely Ryuko, Satsuki and Mako. Former two are the main characters of the series and rivals. They’re always at each other’s throats – as if fated to be enemies. These two receive the most screen-time. Ryuko, the MC, faces problems like identity crisis and goes berserk a few times. The story is ~apparently~ supposed to be a coming-of-age story so a teenage girl having a lot of mood-swings and being very impulsive in nature probably doesn’t seem out-of-character. But she can be annoying to some due to it anyway. I personally found it really annoying when she had an outburst in episode 19. Mostly because she has had similar outbursts not too long ago. But I digress.
Mako, on the other hand, is more of a comedic side-kick than a main character. She is eccentric and hyperactive. Her gags can be hit or miss for people depending on their perspective. Personally found her and her antics highly enjoyable and a breath of fresh air when compared to contemporary sidekicks. There are two more that I would love to talk about but I shall not because they’re integral to the plot and disclosing information about them could be considered a spoiler. Anyway, as far as character development is concerned, it is present, yes. But not *too* much of it. The only character in the series that gets proper development in this series is Ryuko’s rival, Kiryuin Satsuki. Ryuko, on the other hand, pales in comparison.
All in all, this series consists of a highly female-oriented cast. The males are present, yeah, but it is the women who possess boobs of steel, strength and ambition to do things their way.
It gets a 7/10 in this category.
----Story----
A pretty simple set-up. And a very entertaining story. There were a few ups and downs between episodes 7 and 15 but the series has managed to be highly entertaining for the most part. Do not go into it expecting it to be a deep story and you’ll probably have a lot of fun. It starts off with a monster of the week format, goes on with it for a few episodes, and then shifts gears. It is only after episode 12 that some revelations come to light and we come to know more about the big shots. And not before episode 15 does the series start having some serious plot progression. Before episode 15 the series did possess a very chaotic pacing as far as events-per-episode are concerned but the rate of overall plot progression was very slow. Which led some fans to say “You haven’t TRULY seen Kill la Kill if you haven’t seen past episode 15 yet”. And I’m inclined to agree with them to a degree. The series does pick up quite a bit after that. Don’t expect a shit-ton of character development or earth-shattering revelations , though. It is all pretty predictable. What make the things that take place in these episodes so damn effective is the execution – Trigger does an amazing job at showing off predictable events in an unpredictable fashion. They’re masters when it comes to it and it makes the recent episodes look really, really good when compared to the episodes that precede them. It ends on a satisfying note, too. Slightly disappointing if you are expecting things to escalate to infinity and beyond but, like I said, its end is definitely not something you’d consider a bad end. It wraps up things nicely. Of course, there are a few loose ends and things that you’d consider plot-holes but they’re mostly minor for the most part and story was never its strength anyway. I’ll conclude by saying that it turns out VERY different from how it starts off. You probably won’t believe the first and last episodes are parts of the same show if they didn’t share characters.
Overall, it gets a 6.5/10 for the story.
----Final Thoughts----
I think this is definitely a series worth checking out. Do not expect it to be anything – just judge it for what it is rather than for what it could’ve been or what you wanted it to be. A series with a good art style and creative yet dramatic cuts, amazing soundtrack, a fun cast and just over-the-top action. Definitely check it out if you’re into action anime. Or if you are just looking for an over-the-top series that isn’t afraid of doing things that are considered very far-fetched or out-of-the-box.
Final rating – 7/10. The rating takes enjoyment into account as well. Although I personally have it listed as a 9/10 on my list because I’m highly biased when it comes to this show. I did try to keep my personal bias away from this review, though. And I hope I was successful in that regard – please provide feedback and let me know whether or not that was the case. Both helpful and unhelpful votes are appreciated as long as you guys let me know the +ves and –ves of this review to me on my profile. Thank you for reading and I hope I was helpful.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 2, 2014
"This isn't a movie. It is a commercial. God damn it!" - anyone who saw it and hoped for a series AND then came to know about what it really is. I know that feel, bud. Trust me, I do.
Makoto Shinkai strikes again with another one of his visually stunning works - this time with a 2 minute commercial instead of a feature length film, however. And because it is *his* work, I'll actually skip commenting on the artwork in general. Because it is stunning, to say the least. And I don't know how else to describe it. I shall talk about character designs, though.
...
They deserve a mention.
I sure wish he worked on this as a series or a movie, though. Why?
-Story-
Because this is a departure from his previous works in the sense that this is a very light hearted short story. No depressing shit here. Instead of going with the themes Shinkai regularly plays with, ie, 'distance', he went for a different direction. Which is refreshing to see considering the fact that almost every work of his deals with the same theme in a different manner. It is time he explores new grounds. Because as good as 5cms/s was, I don't think I would enjoy watching the same theme explored for like the tenth time and have the creator be known as a one-trick pony. I think he's better than that.
But I digress.
Oh, and yes, I called it a "story". And that's because even in two minutes of run-time it managed to drag me into its world and make me relate to the characters in a way "The Place Promised in Our Early Days" (one of his previous works) never could. The cast comprises of our main leads, a guy and a girl, preparing for a test that'd get them into a university of their dreams. This, being a commercial, uses the story of these two characters to showcase how the long-distance correspondence courses from "Z-Kai" help these two to get where they want. Ends on a happy-ish note, I guess?
This had a lot of potential - it could easily be adapted into a 13 episode Slice of Life series, in your humble reviewer's opinion. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. But that's wishful thinking, bleh.
-Character Designs-
The character designs are neat. Both the guy and the girl look attractive. This is a step up from the previous Shinkai works I've seen, to be honest. The characters didn't look especially attractive in "The Place Promised...". This is a huge improvement when it comes to character designs when compared to it and a definite but subtle improvement from the character designs in his more recent works like "5cms/s" and "Garden of Words".
-Voice Acting-
Their voice actors did a good job and they efficiently managed to portray the emotions that were required from them by the characters they were playing. The girl's nervous "I'll be going now!" while leaving her home to go check out the results of her test sounded very, very natural. So yes, it'll suffice to say that they did well.
-Soundtrack-
The soundtrack used here is sung by Miss Nagi Yanagi and beautifully compliments the visuals. It makes up a large part of what made the whole experience so damn good apart from the stunning visuals.
All in all, I doubt you'd regret watching this short commercial. It is a wonderful sight to the eyes and very pleasant to the ears. Definitely worth 2 minutes of your life.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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