In all seriousness, this series is an absolute throw-away.
To its credit, it makes no pretension about being anything other than a mindless cute-bomb. Going into this series expecting differently is begging for disappointment. While I'm not a fan of this genre, I did last through several episodes of Chi's Sweet Home, and figured this would be similar, but with fangs.
The sound and character designs in Nyanpire have an edgier (loosely speaking) and more polished aesthetic than in Chi, and are generally successful. The characters themselves, however, talk too much. Nonverbalness is associated with babyhood and helplessness, both traits that enhance the perception of cuteness.
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Jul 14, 2011
Kemonozume
(Anime)
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While the initial episodes are on the dull side, they are still enjoyable thanks to the superbly confident and expressive animation. I don't find the story's premise compelling, but do recognize that it's well told. The lead characters' romantic relationship, which is one of the major axes of conflict in the plot, is unconvincing. However, this is partially redeemed when some of the secondary characters end up in interesting and poignant circumstances. And the madcap ending just plain explodes with crazy (in a good way.)
Overall, a gorgeous and fun anime. 
May 29, 2011
Pale Cocoon
(Anime)
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Yawn. Total waste of time.
The visuals are pretty, with smooth and life-like animation as well as pleasing character designs. It also showcases some cool-looking futuristic archival technology. However, while better than average, the visuals are not groundbreaking -- easily surpassed by 5cm Per Second and its ilk. They are also repetitive. Plot is thin, derivative and not particularly well presented. The characters are unengaging and underdeveloped. Dialogue and soundtrack are forgettable. Moreover, the pacing is self-indulgently, navel-gazingly slow, making this piece boring despite its short duration. 
May 29, 2011
Nodame Cantabile
(Anime)
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The themes of the individual episodes are very repetitive. Pacing is like watching water boil while the paint dries. Humour is ok, but hits you repeatedly over the head with a very obvious, familiar hammer. Animation consists of a lot of panning over stills and simple, abstract backgrounds. However, the male lead is intriguing, ambitious and flawed. The setting is also quite romantic and exotic to the average viewer. The show could at least have been enjoyable if not for its most fatal fault -- a female lead who is stereotypically brainless, romance-obsessed, unambitious, strident, and one-dimensional.
It all just got very boring, very fast. 
May 29, 2011
Genji Monogatari Sennenki
(Anime)
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This is an underrated gem. The visuals are stylized, but quite beautiful and well suited to the subject at hand. Centering on the amorous encounters of Hikaru, the series does in fact feature several intimate scenes, but they are not explicit and to focus on them is to miss the larger point of the work. This is ultimately a poetic, lingering examination of longing, attraction and the multi-faceted nature of love, all set to a dramatic and moving soundtrack.
May 29, 2011
When I initially watched this as it came out, DtB struck me as a very slick action series with an intriguingly noir main cast. I was a little turned off by the WTF ending and pseudo-astrological techno-conspiracy babble. Recently I discovered several mentions of it on TVTropes, under tropes that I don't recall seeing in the series, so I decided to rewatch it, especially since season II is upcoming.
Once again, I'm reminded of how tightly and gracefully choreographed the action is. But this time, I realized that DtB's true forte is in the telling of its characters' stories. The series handles character development with a ... |
